Move On: Tales of Marinette & Adrien
by HawkwardDolphin
Summary: Marinette wonders if maybe she should move on from Adrien, but her masked partner suggests she goes after what makes her happy. Adrien, meanwhile, realizes maybe he didn't know as much about Marinette as he previously thought. It leaves him wondering if maybe Chat Noir should practice what he preaches. (I don't own any of the Miraculous characters.)
1. No! No Leathers

*A/N I don't own any of the Miraculous Ladybug characters.

* * *

"Another fashion contest?" Alya snickered. "The teachers are really struggling for good projects before break, huh, Marinette? Marinette? Marinette?"

Marinette was practically drooling on the table as she gazed forward towards Adrien, remembering how he had looked sporting her bowler hat in the winning shoot forever ago. He hadn't exactly appeared graceful due to his constant sneezing, but Adrien Agreste was always gorgeous and perfect in her eyes, even when hit with allergies. Marinette smiled when she thought about winning again and seeing him in a jacket this time.

If she won.

 _No feathers,_ she promised him in her mind.

"What did you say?" Alya asked.

Marinette snapped out of it, "Huh? What?"

"Did you just say something about feathers?" Alya questioned, smirking as her own eyes shot a quick peek at Adrien.

The boy had spun slightly in his seat when he heard commotion.

Marinette screeched before quickly saying, "What? Feathers? No! No! No! I was talking about, uh, leathers?"

Alya gave her a friend a look, " _Leathers_?"

Adrien turned back around, tapping his pencil on his desk, and Marinette's heart fell a bit. She wished he would've said something to her, maybe a good luck or a comment about how she had won last time.

"Uh, yeah," Marinette replied, placing her head on the table so Alya wouldn't continue. While waiting for the bell to ring, she stared at Adrien's beautiful golden hair that was always enough to keep her mind busy. She prayed Alya was taking good notes for her to copy later.

As soon as the bell rang, Marinette grabbed her stuff and started to walk out with Alya hot on her trail.

"The designs are due by the end of the week. Will you be ready by then? You have to win again! Can you imagine dressing Adrien in your jacket?"

Marinette offered a small smile while her cheeks flushed, "Since it's only designs and not real products, I think I should be fine." Her ideas were always unlimited when it came to imagining her sweet blonde prince in her designs. She spaced out for a bit, starting to remember how Adrien had almost turned completely around towards her today. The thought caused Marinette to let out a sad breath.

"Girl," Alya snapped her fingers in front of her face, "what's wrong with you? Something's weird."

Marinette snapped out of it, trying to be her normal, overly hyper self, "Wh-what? I'm perfectly fine! You're the weird one. Look at me! I'm full of energy and totally not weird!" She flung her arms out to prove it, almost nailing Nino in the face.

"So close," Alya commented teasingly at Nino as he adjusted his glasses.

"Funny." He adjusted his bag strap before turning to Marinette, "No feathers, huh?"

Marinette's mouth fell open, and she let out a defeated groan that continued on for a long time as Alya and Nino talked.

"No. No _leathers_ ," Alya corrected.

"Oh, really? Because I'm about 99% positive that you said feathers in class, Marinette," he smirked, leaning close to the girl's face to cause her even greater embarrassment.

The groan continued.

"Oh, did the blonde prince hear?"

The groan stopped with a sharp inhale. She hadn't stopped to think if maybe Adrien had turned around because he was embarrassed by her comment. Despite her desire to know the answer to Alya's question, she was blushing at the fact that her friend had brought it up in front of Adrien's very own best friend. Marinette hit Alya gently. But Nino knew about Marinette's infatuation with Adrien, so her embarrassment, and abuse, was unwarranted. Alya rubbed her arm a bit, sticking her tongue out at Marinette with a smile.

Nino let out a groan of his own, "No! He was totally spacey again, man!" He scratched behind his ear, "He's positive she said leathers."

Marinette tried not to let her face fall. She didn't know what she had wished to hear instead, but that wasn't the answer she was hoping for.

"Though, he did seem kinda happy about it. Apparently he's not a fan of leather," Nino shrugged. "Said he has to wear it too often or something. You know models."

Marinette knew Ladybug, and she knew she agreed with Adrien. She mentally marked down hatred for leather, and probably spandex, down in her possible future conversation topics with Adrien.

She imagined walking up to him confidently and saying, _Oh, you hate leather? Me, too. Wanna go to a movie?_

A deeper blush than was already on her face immediately accompanied the thought, and she knew that was a daydream she would never share with _anyone_.

"Anyways, good luck, Marinette! I'm rooting for you," Nino winked, slipping on his headphones and starting off home.

Alya grumbled for a bit in his general direction before turning to Marinette, "You know, you should just tell him how you feel. Everyone else knows."

This conversation came up often. "Not everyone," Marinette sputtered softly.

"Hey, Kim…"

"Alya, Alya, Alya!" Marinette hushed her with a hand tightly over her friend's mouth.

Alya tugged the hand off, "What's stopping you? Remember Valentine's Day?! You were so ready to let him know how you felt!"

"I know, I know… It's just…"

"What, is there somebody else?" Alya's eyebrows rose. "You haven't moved past…"

"WHAT? Never! Adrien is perfect! Adrien is just so handsome and talented and kind and cool and _always so charming_ and…"

"Geez, Marinette, I didn't want the speech _again_ ," her friend giggled, cutting off Marinette's ramblings. "It's just, you know, I think it's almost time to make a move or move on."

Gulping, Marinette entertained the thought of moving on in her mind. But Adrien had been in her heart for a while now and thinking about forgetting how much she cared for him was so foreign to her, it took a while for the seriousness of it to sink into her brain.

Alya's comment almost made sense to her after thinking it over a while. Despite how long she had crushed on Adrien, Marinette barely ever made a move, and whenever she did, something ruined it. Like him thinking a scarf was from his father or Chloe interrupting a scripted kiss.

Eventually, she nodded, "I agree, Alya. I'm just nervous. He never really notices me, and I'm scared that if I do something wrong… those few times he has seen me… will stop happening…" Her shoulders hunched forward in defeat, her eyes closing automatically as she imagined his few smiles directed at her.

How could she even _think_ about pushing Adrien from her heart?

"Or they could happen more," Alya pointed out.

Marinette looked up at her with wide eyes.

Her friend nudged her shoulder gently, walking off towards her home, "Just a thought."

* * *

Marinette sketched out a design quickly. It was easy when she was imagining Adrien in it. Embarrassingly enough, she even knew his measurements. But she wouldn't go as far as writing them down on her design. That would be creepy, and at least Marinette knew to draw the line somewhere.

She did indulge herself in a couple sketches where he was in her design, but after giggling over them a bit, she shoved them in her private box where no one would be able to see them, not even Alya.

After a few moments of sitting in silence at her desk, the girl got up and walked to her window, watching the lights of the city for a moment until her kwami flew up next to her.

"What are you thinking about, Marinette?"

With a sigh, Marinette wondered, "Do you think I should move on, Tikki?"

Her kwami flew in front of her face, "You're thinking about what Alya was saying earlier? I think she just wants to push you to make a move."

"Do you think I should move on?" Marinette asked again, eyebrows creased in concentration and thought.

Tikki hovered in one spot silently, almost unsure what to say.

"Is it really so hopeless? Am I really so hopeless?"

"No, Marinette! That's not why someone would suggest moving on!"

"Then, why? Am I not good enough for him?"

It was a thought Marinette had often enough, thanks for Chloe's constant harps throughout class and even outside of class. No one was worthy of Adrien but her, and Chloe made that crystal clear.

"Marinette!" Tikki scolded. "It's the opposite!"

Marinette glanced up at Tikki, finally, with tears stuck in her eyes, "What do you mean?"

Tikki smiled warmly, "Maybe he's not worthy of you! Have you ever thought of it that way?"

Marinette couldn't help but laugh. Of course she hadn't. Adrien was perfect. How could he ever be, in any possible situation or universe, unworthy of her? The idea was so silly that it made Marinette laugh again.

"If he hasn't noticed you yet…"

"Now stop that, Tikki. It's not his fault I'm not noticeable. Plus, he's always busy! So many photo shoots and other modeling duties that keep him busy 24/7! And, well," she let out a breath, not wanting to admit what she was thinking, but speaking it aloud anyways, "I'm just Marinette."

"Not just," Tikki grinned again, touching Marinette's cheeks with her hands. "You're Ladybug."

Marinette offered a small smile in return, glad for a way out of the Adrien conversation, "Speaking of Ladybug, should we patrol?"

Tikki nodded, giving Marinette an adorable smile that almost made her forget her troubles for a moment.

Marinette transformed and hurried out of her room onto the terrace so she could begin her scanning of the city. It was the perfect way to take her mind off of Adrien.

Especially once Chat Noir caught up with her.


	2. Boy?

*A/N I don't own these characters.

* * *

"Oh, I was wondering when you would join me, my lady," Chat smirked with a small bow.

Ladybug strode past him with a smirk of her own, "Couldn't handle a night without me, kitty?"

She missed Chat Noir's blush that brushed his cheeks. Her words rang through him with such truth; he really couldn't go one night without at least the thought of his spotted lady.

"The thought of going a day without seeing you is…"

"A- _paw_ -ling?" Ladybug joked, setting a hand on her hip sassily. She had taken the pun right out of his mouth. "Really, Chat, you need new puns."

He blinked at her slowly, a wide genuine smile spreading across his lips, "Un- _furr_ -tunately, I only have so many in my repertoire, my lady. Care to think of some for me?"

"Not my area of expertise, silly kitty," she shrugged, tossing her yoyo to swing to another rooftop.

Chat watched her go for a moment before he followed her quickly. She drove him crazy with their little chase that went on. Always a game of cat and mouse, or cat and ladybug, between them.

He strolled up behind her as she looked over Paris.

"Find anything before I came out?" she asked before he could spit out his corny line to her in attempts to make her blush. He wanted to see her blush.

"I wasn't looking for trouble," he murmured, more to himself. _I was looking for you._

"What was that?"

"No trouble as of yet."

Ladybug nodded, always the focused one, "Good. I'm not in the right mindset to battle any akumas right now."

"Oh, cat got your mindset?" he teased, physically hitting himself for that one before the masked girl on his left could do it for him.

Ladybug offered a short laugh before shaking her head.

Something seemed off with her. Chat wanted to know what it was. He leaned around to get a better view of her face. His spotted beauty kept turning away from him, before she finally offered him some sort of answer.

"No, real life does," she responded vaguely before soaring off again.

Chat leapt after her, bounding across the rooftops to try and find her. She hardly ever mentioned her real life to him. Ladybug always wore a different sort of mask. Where it was easy for Ladybug to know if something was bothering him, it was always hard for him to get a grip on her feelings.

If he could get something, anything, out of her tonight, he could be happy for weeks on end thinking about it. Though, this time was different. This time she wasn't excited for something in her real life; she seemed more disappointed and confused. He disliked the expression on her as if took the place of her radiant smile and bright eyes.

His heart tightened. He felt the want, no… the need, to help her. His beautiful and perfect Ladybug.

Once Chat Noir did finally find her, she was sitting on the edge of a roof peering at the full moon ahead of them dreamily.

"You didn't want to actually patrol today, did you?" he asked her lightly.

"I am patrolling."

"I don't think that's quite the truth."

"Well, you're not the poster child for honesty, either, Chat."

He shrugged, "I never claimed to be, my lady. I'm just concerned, that's all." Normally, she was all business, never taking time for herself while in the mask. Thinking about that made him guilty. All Chat Noir did in the mask was take the time for himself to be free from the world of Adrien Agreste.

With a grumble, Ladybug turned towards him, looking up at him, "So I use this transformation to escape real life sometimes. Are you blaming me, Chat Noir?"

He shook his head quickly, blonde hair shaking in front of his eyes. She was very wrong; he understood that feeling all too well. "No, no, Ladybug. That's… I understand."

She bit her lip and tossed her head away from him.

Chat cocked his head in question, crouching next to her. His hands found the roof in front of him, and he rocked back on his heels, patiently waiting for her to speak first.

Her voice was softer than he imagined it would be. "We shouldn't be talking about this."

"Talking about what?"

"Feelings. We have powers for a reason." Her voice was gaining volume now.

"Exactly," he nodded, not quite understanding what she meant now.

"And the reason isn't so we can sneak out for secret… _therapy sessions_!" she ranted, as if to justify her slight anger.

"Right," Chat Noir responded, still a bit unsure of what was happening.

"I shouldn't just use them whenever because some stupid boy…"

Chat's heart accelerated, and he cut off Ladybug, asking, "Boy?"

Ladybug snapped her mouth shut, "I meant person… I meant some stupid person causes me to…"

"Boy?" he demanded again, this time his heart stopping almost altogether in the realization that she indeed had a different life apart from him. His heart clenched strangely, and he felt as if he might faint. It shouldn't have surprised him that someone else would've noticed how wonderful Ladybug was. But it did, and Chat Noir had to struggle to keep his expression neutral, and even then, he found himself failing.

His eyes darted over to his usually reserved and professional Ladybug, who was looking at him as if he had just been punched in the gut.

"We really shouldn't be talking like this," she repeated, beginning to stand up.

Chat Noir took her hand tightly, tugging her back down, "Yes, we should."

Ladybug looked at him warily. He knew he had to be careful. His masked lady could easily soar away from him with one wrong word, so Chat tried to show with his eyes that he wanted her to stay and that he was okay. After all, he was her friend first, and if she was hurting over a boy, even if it hurt his heart to hear about it, he would be there for her.

Chat let go of her hand once he was sure she wouldn't go yo-yoing away from him. "Ladybug, I don't know how you feel about me, but you're one of my best friends. It's crazy to be friends with someone who wears a mask around you all the time, but it's how I feel. But… but I want to be even closer. I want to know you." Before she could interrupt, "Not your identity. I mean, I do want to know that, but I want to know more about you and who you are. What you like, what you want to be, what you hate. Your problems. Your… not problems?"

She snickered a bit at his loss for words.

"Maybe today isn't a good time," he said softly, gulping, "but I hope one day, you'll talk to me about… _him_."

Her snicker turned into a short breath.

The two superheroes eyes met for a long moment, Chat trying to portray his feelings for her in that one look, though knowing it was hard with the mask between them. He wanted to know who she was so desperately, so he could help her even more. She deserved so much more, his wonderful lady who had already given so much to him and to everyone of Paris. It was so unfair that she would suffer like this, and because of some boy, of all things.

Then her head fell into her hands, "He's so dumb and perfect, Chat."

Chat Noir's eyes widened. So she _was_ going to talk to him today. He moved from his awkward crouch into a sitting position facing her. His eyes wandered over all her face, wanting to memorize how it looked at this precise moment that she had decided to open up to him. She looked beautiful.

"He… he doesn't notice me."

The superhero's wide green eyes grew even wider, and a mild rage filled up his insides. He grunted out, "What?"

Ladybug turned to him with surprise all over her face, "What?"

"He's… he's a _moron_ if he doesn't notice you," Chat told her, eyebrows pressed downwards in honesty and determination. She had to believe his words. He found himself leaning towards her, causing her to lean away from him slightly. His clawed fingers stayed firm on the roof as he continued to gaze into her wide blue eyes. Were his words reaching her? Did she know he was there for her in both her lives, despite possibly not being a part of one of them? Could she tell just how amazing she was in this moment in his eyes?

Her head shook slightly. Ladybug turned away, pulling her knees to her chest, "He's just busy."

Chat found himself pausing, entranced by how her beautiful black hair was ruffled slightly in the wind. His fingers wanted to reach up and touch it, but there were other problems at hand.

"So you're… you're upset because some moron can't see how amazing you are? Ladybug," he paused before whispering softly, "who couldn't fall for you?"

That's when he saw her tears.

"It's impossible not to be in love with you," Chat continued. He desperately wanted to sit closer to her.

Her voice was soft as she covered her face in her hands again. "It's not impossible for him."

Chat's heart began to race. Who was he? Who was he? Who was this boy who had stolen and broken his lady's heart? Who was it?

Ladybug finally met his gaze. His eyebrows were downturned in determination as he gazed into her eyes intensely. She froze in his stare, and he let his hands move him forward a bit so he was an inch closer to her.

"It's fine. My friend," Ladybug swallowed, sniffling a bit before continuing, "my friend told me to get over him and move on. I think that's for the best. To move on." Her head still shook a bit, and she bit her lip, sucking back more cries.

 _Yes, move on from that jerk who can't see how perfect you are. I love you, Ladybug. You know I do. More than anyone in my life right now. Move on from him. I'm here for you._

Chat Noir knew he couldn't say those things and take advantage of her moment of weakness, no matter how much he wanted to. This was a big moment in their friendship and making a careless move like that on his masked lady now would guarantee she would never look at him as more than a fighting partner ever again.

Instead, the hero spoke quietly, "You should do whatever will make you happiest."

Ladybug peered at him almost as desperately as he did at her, "You think so?"

"I know so."

Her mouth opened and closed a couple times before she leaned towards him, eyes flashing wildly, "Even if it means pain along the way? If I know I'll be happiest with him, I should go for it?"

Chat Noir had to wait a moment so his voice wouldn't crack before smiling widely, "If he's who you know you'll be happiest with, you should try and get him."

Ladybug looked at Chat with a weird expression on her face before leaning away, "Who knew the kitty was so motivational? You should give talks at schools."

The seriousness of the moment had ended, and it left Chat a bit disappointed. He was hoping to have given her a hug of encouragement. His heart fluttered at the thought.

"Thanks, Chat." She stood up, him letting her. "Really, I mean it. I… I like talking with you."

"I'm glad you did." He wished he could do the same, but unfortunately, he couldn't speak to her about his Ladybug issues since she was his spotted beauty. Chat wasn't expecting the pain in his heart to be so potent, but he was finding it hard to speak.

"See you tomorrow night?"

"Of course, my lady." His voice sounded sad. How did he make it stop doing that? He sounded like Adrien at the moment, and Chat hated that. His alter ego was supposed to be totally free, not tied down by Adrien. He allowed his mouth to quirk into a mischievous grin. "That would be _purr_ -fect."

Ladybug let out a short laugh, petting his head quickly before zooming off into the night with that darn yoyo that could take her so far away from him so quickly.

Chat Noir raised a hand to where she had touched his head as he watched her go before he headed home, too. Once he was Adrien again, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep thinking about his lady.

 _If he's who you know you'll be happiest…_

 _No, Chat. You're who I'll be happiest with! It was you I loved all along._

He smiled and snuggled up to his pillow contently before sleep completely overtook him.

* * *

Adrien knew it was very child-like of him, but he really didn't feel like going to school the next day. Ladybug having a crush on someone _other_ than his alter ego really got him down.

But he wasn't the type of boy to fake being sick just to skip school, so he sucked it up and met Nino on the front steps.

"Dude! Why so glum?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm not glum. Just…"

"Lemme guess," Nino said, drawing it out, "you're just tired."

Adrien offered a hint of a smile, "Something like that."

His friend let out a long, exasperated sigh, knocking the back of his hand against Adrien's chest. "Bro, you do too much modeling. You should tell your dad to just chillax."

"Ha," Adrien laughed, "that would be the day."

"Do I need to come and talk to him again?"

"Do I need to remind you of how that turned out the first time?"

Nino nodded, "Touché, brother." He slid his arm around Adrien's shoulder and ushered him inside, "So, excited about modeling another student's design?"

Happy to have his mind taken off both the thoughts of his lady and his father, Adrien nodded, "I guess so."

"What, didn't like it the first time? Aside from all the sneezing, of course."

Adrien thought back to when he had modeled Marinette's bowler hat. It was skillfully made and a truly awesome and unique design, and he really did enjoy bringing some joy to his fellow classmate. The smile on Marinette's face when she won was enough to make all the sneezing and modeling worthwhile. "I like seeing everyone's designs and excitement," he started, "but not so much the modeling part."

"Still stuck in it, huh? Nothing?" Nino asked, turning a bit more solemn.

"Nothing! My father refuses to even acknowledge that maybe I don't want to model forever," Adrien sighed, shaking his head.

"Oh, the curse of beauty," his best friend teased, squeezing the arm that was around Adrien's shoulders. Suddenly, Nino adopted a mischievous look. "You know what you need, a gir…"

"Nino, aren't you gonna be late to class?" Alya's voice called.

Adrien smirked at Nino, who slapped him in return.

"We'll finish this conversation later," Nino promised. They walked slightly faster to get to the classroom, sliding into their seats as the bell rang. No one was surprised when Marinette slid into her desk a bit late, panting out an excuse that no one believed.

Adrien tried to focus on the class work but was a bit distracted by Alya and Marinette behind him making noises. He assumed it was just them messing with Nino since he so obviously had a thing for Alya. This happened quite often, but he was usually able to ignore it. Today, though, he was already distracted enough with the happenings from the night before. He sighed, his thoughts taking him back to Ladybug.

He was almost positive now that she was in his class. She had to be; it was the only option. Ladybug was always ready at the school, she knew all the students' names, she knew her way around the campus, and then there was that whole losing her history book thing. She had to be one of the girls around him.

He had given up trying to figure out which one. Not only did Adrien want to respect Ladybug's wishes for her identity to remain a secret, but it also gave him too much of a headache trying to think of what would happen if he actually did find out her identity. Would he offer up his in return?

The idea scared and thrilled him.

The bell rang for lunch, so he got up and slung his bag over his shoulder. Pulling his phone out, Adrien got ready to text his driver to pick him up for lunch at home when Nino held a bag in front of him. Smiling, Adrien took the lunch bag, promising to take Nino out later to make up for it. They headed out to the benches in the courtyard to eat together.

"You were so spaced out in class, man. What were you thinking about? Still all the modeling stuff," Nino asked, taking a huge bite into his sandwich.

Adrien picked his own lunch up delicately, always thankful for Nino's mom making him a sandwich now and then. It was nice to be able to stay at school and eat with a friend rather than at home alone. Being alone was slowly becoming troublesome for Adrien; all he could do was think about Ladybug.

"And now? Geez, bro! What is in that head of yours? Are you thinking about, like, the physics homework?" Nino joked, elbowing Adrien lightly.

"No, I was thinking about Ladybug." His eyes widened as he admitted it. "Why did I just say that aloud?"

"I was gonna ask the same thing. What the heck, bro?! Is your obsession with Paris' own Lady Luck really that big?"

Adrien tried to play it off, muttering, "Doesn't everyone have kind of an obsession with her?"

"Do you have t-shirts? Like the one with spots that says _lucky charm_? Ooh! Ooh! You've probably bought those collectible statues they sell in the tourist shops? Oh, man, I bet you follow the Ladyblog!" Nino accused with a whoop of delight.

"Of course, because Alya's our classmate, Nino," Adrien grumbled, nibbling the sandwich.

"Oh, sure. _That's_ the reason," Nino spoke through a mouthful of food.

Adrien shrugged off the topic, laughing slightly at Nino, and allowed his eyes to wander throughout the courtyard amongst his friends while he ate. His eyes stopped on the two girls that sat behind him in class, more specifically Marinette.

She was waving her arms madly with her legs in a wide stance, and then suddenly, her legs shot together and she was pointing angrily at the ground. Her voice was very loud, but she was speaking too fast for him to understand what she was saying. Adrien found himself laughing to himself.

Marinette was kind of strange, but in an endearing way. Alya said something to the dark-haired girl, prompting a whole other round of shouting from Marinette. Adrien shook his head with a smile, looking back at his sandwich. Nino's finger pointed at the two girls just in Adrien's line of sight, causing him to look up again.

"Alya was telling me Marinette already finished her design for the jacket. She might actually think about making the actual jacket anyways," Nino shrugged, "just for something to pass the time, ya know?"

"She's finished?" Adrien asked, eyes wide in admiration.

"Yeah, she's fast. And talented."

"She's impressive," Adrien agreed. He gave a short chuckle before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Nino had whipped out his phone to text something really quick, and a moment later there was more loud shouting from the girls on the other end of the courtyard. Adrien barely noticed, too focused on his sandwich to pay much attention.

Was Ladybug a designer? She was in Paris, a fashion capital of the world, so maybe she was interested in it. Maybe somehow he could get her a ticket to one of his shows or maybe invite her to a shoot. He shook his head; no, that wouldn't work because he'd be _in_ the shoot and wouldn't be with her.

She had to have a life besides the mask; he already knew this much from her crush. Adrien made a mental note as he crumpled up his trash to ask her about her hobbies next time he saw her.

"Woah, cat fight."

Adrien's head shot up at the mention of cat and fight before realizing Nino was talking about Chloe and Sabrina.

"Strange. This is more intense than usual," Nino commented, shoving the last of his lunch into his mouth. Talking yet again with a mouthful, he said, "We'd better get to class."

Adrien nodded as an uneasy feeling took over his gut at the sight of an angry Sabrina stomping off. That wasn't like their normal fights. He inconspicuously nudged Plagg awake in his shirt pocket just to ready him in case of an attack.


	3. Imitateur

*A/N I don't own the Miraculous Ladybug characters. Also, major props to the writers of this show for coming up with really good akumas and how to defeat them, because it's really hard to write those well (as you might see in this chapter and later chapters).

* * *

Alya rammed her shoulder into Marinette again as they walked to class. Marinette was too deep in Adrien dreamland that she barely registered her friend next to her.

"He said I was impressive," Marinette sighed out again, hands clutched in front of her face. "I must be dreaming."

"Oh, girl, now you have to make a move."

Marinette shook her head, finally acknowledging Alya, "Wait, what?"

"Uh, _yes_! Because now we know that at _least_ he thinks you're cool, right? Better now than never."

Shuffling on her feet, she muttered nervously, "Alya, I don't know about this… Maybe it would be better to…" Marinette stopped talking. Her thoughts shot back to Chat Noir's advice the night before. He was so kind to her and so supportive that she should go after her crush.

Ladybug was always grateful for Chat Noir, but last night had been different. Last night, he had been there for her as Marinette, as well. She felt like she needed to follow his advice, or else she would feel guilty for letting him help her at all in the first place.

Her partner had told her to go after what she thought would make her happy, and Marinette knew it was Adrien. It had to be. A grin began to creep onto her face. Her knees wobbled a bit, too.

"Marinette?" Alya's voice drifted into her thoughts.

"I know what I have to do, Alya," Marinette couldn't help but continue to smile nervously. A blush covered her cheeks, "Wish me luck."

With a confused but happy smile, Alya offered, "Good luck."

Marinette hurried into class, her head down as she strode past Adrien to get to her seat. Slipping her bag off her shoulder and setting it next to her on her seat, she began to take heavy breaths.

 _I can do this. I can do this. I can do this._

She raised her gaze from her lap and focused on Adrien in front of her. The words needed to be said. As Alya had said, there was no better time than now. Gulping down her fear, Marinette opened her mouth.

"Uhm, A-A-A-A-A…"

The blonde boy stirred a bit, starting to turn to look back at her.

Marinette's voice faltered at the sight of one green eye peering at her, and a long squeak replaced her stammering as her mouth fell open in his direction.

Alya smacked her face in second hand embarrassment.

Nino tried to offer an encouraging look, eyes flitting from Marinette to Adrien to Alya frantically.

"A-Adrien!" Marinette sputtered out, a bit loud.

Jumping a bit, Nino and Alya were beside themselves with pride. Marinette stomach began to churn viciously.

Adrien faced her completely with a kind smile plastered on his face, "Yes, Marinette?"

Her heart fluttered. _He said my name. To my face. This has happened before how many times? Look at how smooth his eyelids are! Is that a model thing or an Adrien thing? His hair looks really nice today. Maybe he got new shampoo…_

"Uh, Marinette?" Alya smacked her friend in the forearm.

Marinette snapped out of her ravings to realize Adrien was still looking at her with that dazzling, yet withdrawn smile. He was patient and perfect. "A-A-Adrien…"

"Yes," he nodded. He put his arm across the back of his chair as he lounged comfortably, causing Marinette to struggle to focus even more.

Trying to ignore the red blush she knew was creeping up her neck to her cheeks, she began to say, "I, uh, well, I just… I wanted to tell you that… Or, well, ask really, uh, A-A-Adrien, it's, erm, you see…"

His eyebrows rose a bit, and Adrien leaned forward to rest his arm at the edge of her desk with a questioning look replacing his smile.

It was all over for Marinette as soon as he cocked his head to the side and blinked slowly at her with that beautiful patience he was exuding. She let out a anxious breath and then spat out quickly, "Adrien, I wanted to ask you if…"

"Alright, class! Let's quiet down!" Miss Bustier called form the doorway.

Alya shook her head sadly, looking at Nino with a desperate look.

Marinette's mouth fell open farther as she glanced from her teacher to the beautiful boy still staring at her. Adrien eyed the teacher quickly as Marinette had before giving her a short shrug and friendly smile. Without waiting to hear what she had to say, he spun around to face the board.

Marinette gently set her head down on her desk with a long, deep breath of frustration. Why did he have to look at her like that? With his beautiful tilted head glowing in the sunlight coming through the classroom windows? He was a prince, her handsome boy. She was a mess.

 _He's perfect_ , she thought to herself.

Alya was hitting Marinette, and she straightened up quickly, realizing she must have fallen asleep or at least wasn't paying attention to anything the teacher was saying.

"So, break into your groups. Please, groups of _four_ , as I said." Miss Bustier gave a pointed look at Chloe, who heaved a giant sigh.

"Fine!" She spun in her seat, "Oh, Adrikins! You should work with Sabrina and me! Well, when she gets back from wherever she is, of course!"

"Oh, uh. Thanks, Clo…"

"Actually, Adrien and I are working with Alya and Marinette already," Nino interjected, throwing an arm around Adrien with a cheesy smile.

Marinette's eyes widened at Alya, partly in confusion over why they were breaking into groups but also in fear over working with Adrien after completely embarrassing herself in front of him at the beginning of the period.

All her friend offered in response was a downright evil snicker.

"You _owe_ me, bro," Nino laughed in a low voice as he spun in his chair to face Alya. She nodded at him, and they both turned to look at Marinette. Their pointed glances made her jump a little in her seat, shaking her head at them with her teeth clenched together.

Had they planned this? She wasn't over her failure from earlier. How could Alya do this to her? Oh, Adrien really looked amazing today.

Adrien had reached into his bag on the floor to grab his notebook before turning to face the group, too, looking oblivious to what was going on. His wide green eyes were so pure as he shot a glance at each member of the group.

"Ready to go?" he asked, that sweet, reserved smile revealing itself on his face.

Nino spoke up, capturing Adrien attention immediately. Marinette set her chin in the palms of her hands, content with staring at him all day. Until, of course, he caught her gazing at him. She sprung back in shock, sliding down her seat until she was huddled on the floor to hide in shame.

"Just a moment," Alya smiled. "You two continue without us."

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut and shivered a bit. She could see Adrien's orange tennis shoes from where she huddled on the floor, and her embarrassment over trying to ask him out earlier just continued to grow inside the poor girl. Burying her face into her knees, Marinette let out a low sigh.

Alya was sitting next to her a moment later, whispering, "What's wrong, girl?"

"I can't do it. I was going to tell him how I felt, but he was sitting there all perfect with the sunshine glinting off his beautiful hair, and I just couldn't do it!" Her voice ended on an upset squeak, and Marinette dug her face deeper into hiding in shame.

"That's why Nino and I made this group! You'll get another chance, Marinette! Just… stay calm."

Scoffing, Marinette was about to tell Alya that that was easier said than done, but her friend was being so supportive, Marinette knew she should just put on a smile and work this through.

Nodding, she took deep breaths and repeated her friend's words, "Stay calm." Marinette smiled weakly at her friend, grasping Alya's hand tightly for support. The two girls began to get up.

They stopped in their tracks when evil laughter erupted from outside the classroom door. Marinette met Alya's eyes with a concerned expression before they sat up quickly, peeking over their desk to watch the door kicked down.

In walked, well, a some _thing_. It was a person, surrounded in a fog of some sort. The fog died down to reveal Chloe, sporting all black, sunglasses covering her eyes. All the students gasped, and their heads shot back and forth between the two Chloes in confusion.

The Chloe already in the class stood up, outraged, "Is this some kind of joke?! My father will _not_ be pleased to hear about this!" She whipped out her phone, mashing a few buttons angrily and holding the device to her ear with a sneer.

Marinette gasped shortly. Was this an akuma victim? Her eyes darted over the crowds. No Sabrina? Maybe… maybe…

"I am Imitateur!" The villain narrowed her eyes at Chloe, "Didn't like me wanting to look like you? Well, how do you like me _now_ , Chloe?"

"Sa…Sabrina?" Chloe asked aloud. She looked Sabrina up and down. Her shock died down as she grew less impressed with the whole ordeal. Chloe gave a harsh scoff, "Huh, even as me, you still look like an annoying wannabe."

Imitateur screamed loudly, causing half the students to run from the room. Marinette watched them flee, exhaling in relief when she saw Adrien was one of them. She followed the crowd to the door, helping usher out the rest of the students.

"Hurry, Chloe!" she shouted.

"No, I'm on hold. Ugh! This is so lame! My father is the mayor!" she screeched, typing frantically on her phone.

With a huff of annoyance, Marinette was about to re-enter the room to save Chloe when Imitateur struck. Her hand reached out to grab Chloe, and Marinette, not knowing what the touch would do, started to move forward to help, when suddenly, there was a flash of black passing by her. In surprise, Marinette fell backwards behind the desks, hidden. She peered between seats.

A metal baton swept Imitateur into the school's wall.

Chat Noir rushed up to Chloe, grabbing the girl's wrist and shoving her towards the door. Without any further actions to help her, he turned to Imitateur.

"Chat Noir…"

"In the flesh, Imitateur," he teased, giving a little bow. Next, he examined his clawed gloves with a joking smile on his face, "They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but that look really just isn't _mew_ , now is it, Imitateur?"

From behind the desk, Marinette slammed her palm against her forehead over Chat's pun before she crawled out of the room silently, reaching at her side for her bag as she stood up to hurry away so she could transform somewhere safe, only realizing at that moment that her bag wasn't there.

Her eyes widened in fear.

She heard some more playful banter between Chat Noir and Imitateur but decided to tune it out, hurrying back into the room in a low crouch. She rushed towards her seat. She had set it down, hadn't she?

The purse was gone.

With a jolt, she realized that Alya must've grabbed it on her way out. First the Adrien fiasco and now this? Marinette wondered where her luck was today. An akuma was just what she needed to make this day even better.

Suddenly, Chat Noir slammed into the desk in front of her, knocking it back into the wall in a crushed mess that surrounded the superhero. He pushed the broken pieces away from him, rubbing at his back, probably where it impacted the wooden desk.

Marinette looked down and away from Chat Noir to see Adrien's bag, which must have been tossed her way along with the destroyed desk. The top was unzipped, revealing a peek of light blue yarn. Her heart began to beat twice as fast as her normal overly speedy heart rate as her hand reached down to pull the zipper completely down the bag so she could see if it was what she thought it was more clearly.

It was the scarf, she realized with a bit of excitement. She was about to dig it out of the bag when a voice interrupted her, causing her to stop moving and look up guiltily.

"Marinette? What are you still doing here?!"

* * *

Chat Noir couldn't believe Marinette was still in the room. What was she doing in the room? Why wasn't she safe? Was she hurt? Unable to move? Adrien cursed at himself; he had thought he had made sure everyone got out before he transformed.

His green eyes shifted down to the bag Marinette now held in her hands. It was a struggle to not look anxious. His school bag. Shaking his head, he attempted to clear the thought from his mind, realizing that the bag was the least of his troubles right now. Besides, Plagg was inside his ring now, so he had nothing of consequence for Marinette to find inside his bag. Chat glanced her over quickly, trying to figure out why she hadn't moved yet.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her. Feeling the need to be more, well, Chat, he added a slight flex of his bicep, figuring it would do the trick and help calm her down.

It did; Marinette giggled cutely in his direction. He puffed up his chest, smiling at how easily Chat Noir could make anyone swoon. But then, so quick as if she thought he might miss it, Chat caught Marinette roll her blue eyes at him. He dropped his arm quickly. _What was that?_

"No, I'm fine. I just couldn't find a good time to get out. But don't worry about me, Chat Noir. I was just…"

"Chat Noir?! Who knew you had such powers?" Imitateur boomed out from the other side of the desk.

He set a hand on Marinette's shoulder, bending down towards her so he could speak in a quick and hushed voice, "Hurry up and get out as soon as you can. We wouldn't want you to get hurt, now would we, princess?" With a wink, he started to stand up, ready to battle the Imitateur alone again before his lady arrived.

He heard her murmur in a soft voice, as if she meant it only for herself, "Oh, yeah, that would just be _claw_ -ful."

Chat studied Marinette for a long second before laughing, "That was a _paws_ \- itively _hiss_ -terical pun, princess."

Marinette looked a bit shocked at him catching her murmur, but only for a second before she answered with wild enthusiasm, "Wow! Chat Noir enjoying _my_ very own cat pun! I'm so honored!"

Chat couldn't help but think to himself, _What was with that eye roll? Obviously, Marinette is a huge fan!_

With another wink and nod, Chat faced the Imitateur. She was glancing at her own gloved hand, smirking. No longer a Chloe replica, the villain had become an imitation of Chat Noir. The only difference was that the mask was replaced with thick-rimmed glasses.

"You've got to be _kitten_ me right now," Chat groaned in irritation. This was Copycat all over again. With a sigh, the superhero elongated his staff a bit so he could fight more easily.

Imitateur pulled her own baton off the small of her back, holding it out as a challenge to Chat Noir.

He was a bit scared. The last time an akuma had given its victim his powers, he had been a very equal match and needed Ladybug's help to defeat it. Now he was on his own, without knowing the limits of Imitateur's powers. But he bit the inside of his cheek, readying himself for the worst and finding Ladybug taking over his mind once again.

Just as Chat and Imitateur were about to attack each other, Marinette leapt out of nowhere with a flash of blue in her hands. Chat Noir realized with a gulp that it was the scarf his father had gotten him for his birthday.

Throwing the scarf over the Imitateur's eyes, Marinette landed with barely a thud and rushed to the exit. She passed by Chat Noir, taking his hand on her way out and ordering, "Hurry."

He had no time to mourn the possible loss of his favorite scarf due to Marinette's rush. As she pulled him out of the room with her and around a corner, he was hit with feelings of familiarity. He realized it was just his memories with Ladybug, as they were always rushing around together to stop the akumas. One of his eyebrows rose in confusion over why it was Marinette that was pulling him along instead of him helping her to safety.

She suddenly stopped.

Chat Noir bewilderment over Marinette expanded to why she had pulled him, a superhero, away. He could have handled the Imitateur. Well, at least until Ladybug arrived. His irritation flared up a bit, too; why hadn't she left when he told her to?

"I'm… I'm sorry," she muttered, as if realizing this fact, too.

She was so different from when she had been trying to say something to him, as Adrien, earlier today. Less nervous, very brave. She threw his scarf at the akuma victim with such purpose that he almost believed that fighting evil was something she did every day as he had. It was kind of funny when he thought about her leaping from the top of a desk as if she were a masked hero herself, as Ladybug or something.

Marinette was still struggling with her words when Chat tuned back in. "I don't know what I'm doing."

He picked up her hand, "Thank you very much for your concern and help, princess." He brought his mouth to her knuckles for a brief brush of his lips before she gently removed her hand from his grasp.

"I just wanted to help you somehow, and I couldn't stand by wh… Chat, look out!" Her hands pressed themselves against his chest for a split second, shoving him with great force into the hallway wall next to her as the Imitateur's own Chat Noir baton swiped through the air, knocking Marinette in the shoulder. The girl was knocked off balance with the strike, and she hit the ground hard. Not knocked out completely, but obviously hurt and a little disoriented.

Chat Noir watched as her hand gripped her shoulder tightly, her mouth hanging open as a low groan escaped from between her lips.

"Princess," he breathed out, too surprised to shout. He could've taken that hit. He probably could've even dodged it if she had just given him some warning. So why had she allowed herself to take the baton strike? She was just a civilian. Why did she think she could handle that?

His cool was completely shattered as he watched her twist on the ground so that their eyes met.

"I'm… I'm fine," she muttered in his direction, clutching at her shoulder with a shaking hand. The girl seemed distracted, looking at but not really seeing Chat as she spoke.

Chat Noir was about to kneel next to her, maybe pick her up and carry her to safety, but the Imitateur knelt down next to Marinette first, harshly slamming her gloved fingers onto her back. Marinette winced at the touch, her lip biting down hard on her lip to hold back a yelp.

With an evil chortle, Imitateur was engulfed by more black smoke as she transformed. Chat pulled out his baton. After whirling it in a circle, he bent his knees slightly, fearing an immediate attack. Suddenly, a Marinette clothed in all black was standing in front of Chat Noir with a sickly sweet smile on her face. Glasses still adorned her face, making Chat realize those were probably where the akuma was.

The real Marinette was still on the ground, shaking a little as she tried to stand. Imitateur stood between him and her, blocking any way he could've gotten to her to help her up and out of danger's way. Chat Noir growled, frustrated.

"Wow, who would've known she had this much power?" anti-Marinette snickered, kicking her legs to show off agility. After stretching out, she flashed her narrowed blue eyes at Chat Noir. "Ready for a real fight, kitty cat?"

The nickname in Marinette's voice startled him for a moment before it drew him out of his distracted self. He focused on his surroundings, mostly looking for Ladybug. The real Marinette was now grasping at the wall, beginning to stand and make her way down the corridors.

"Marinette!" he called out loudly, reaching for her.

But the girl was hurrying off. His shoulders slumped when he realized he had failed to protect her. All he could do now was draw Imitateur away from the direction Marinette was heading and wait for Ladybug to join him and cleanse the akuma of evil. He was upset that he was unable to help Marinette further, but it wasn't but a split second before Imitateur was attacking him.

Chat Noir had a hard time focusing on the fact that this was _not_ the Marinette from class. Was it even possible for that Marinette to have such a fierce look in her eye as this anti-Marinette did? His mind was shouting at him every time he almost landed a blow on her. He turned more defensive, deciding to hold her off until Ladybug arrived. Breaking his weapon into two separate staffs, he began to block her kicks and redirect them to the walls and railings away from him.

Had Marinette made it away okay? Was she getting help?

Briefly distracted by those thoughts, Imitateur spun around, kicking at his face. While dodging the kick, Chat Noir tripped backwards and fell onto the ground.

Imitateur set a foot on his chest while he was trying to get back up, looking down at him triumphantly.

Chat Noir struggled, upset how he was taken down so fast. Probably his worry over Marinette. Normally, the civilians aren't involved in the battles. Why had she gotten involved? Was she okay? He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to shake the thoughts from his head. Focus was key; if Chat didn't have focus, then he couldn't fight. And his focus was Ladybug. And he didn't have her right now.

Where was she?

Imitateur smirked as she reached down for Chat Noir's hand, probably to pull the Miraculous off. He tightened his hand into a fist. He was not ready to give up his Miraculous just yet, and if it was to be taken from him, Imitateur would have to take his whole hand.

 _Ack, but I hope it doesn't come to that!_

That was when the yoyo appeared, wrapping around Imitateur's wrist.

"Finally, my lady! I was beginning to worry," Chat expressed in relief, peering around Imitateur to catch a glimpse of his partner.

"Sorry to worry you, Chat Noir. I was a bit held up," Ladybug apologized, striding forward a bit awkwardly. She tugged the string on her yoyo, pulling the Imitateur away from Chat Noir. "It's over, Imitateur!"

"Not just yet, Ladybug!" Imitateur threatened, struggling to free her wrist from the yoyo.

"It's the glasses," Chat offered, sensing his chance and standing up quickly. He put his baton back into one and crouched again, watching his partner for instruction.

Ladybug nodded stiffly, "Cover me." Swiftly, she removed her yoyo from around Imitateur's arm, and with a shout, she called out, "Lucky charm!"

Chat distracted the Imitateur while Ladybug thought. His focus was returned now that he knew his lady was here for him. Now, if only he knew how Marinette was doing. The superhero shook his head, focusing on dodging anti-Marinette's movements. He felt a twinge of regret when he swept her feet out from under her with his baton. Chat reached for the glasses but was stopped by wildly kicking feet.

"Done thinking, my lady?" he called out as he frantically leaned left and right to avoid a foot in the face.

"Hey, Imitateur. Say cheese!" Ladybug chanted.

The akuma victim glanced up from her sprawled out position just in time for Ladybug to snap a photo with an incredibly large flash, increased by the glare on the Imitateur's glasses. Momentarily blinded, Chat used his chance to take the glasses from the villain's face.

"No!" Imitateur yelled, reaching forward blindly to try and retrieve them.

"Catch, my lady!" he smiled, throwing them Ladybug's direction. She caught them easily, though she looked a bit rigid.

With a smirk, Ladybug cracked the frames of the glasses, saying, "No more making a _spectacle_ of yourself, you evil, little akuma."

Chat shook his head while chuckling, watching as Ladybug cleansed the akuma. The white butterfly flew off to who knows where. Throwing the lucky charm camera into the sky, the miraculous cleansing light washed over the school, leaving Sabrina lying in front of them clutching at her head and wondering where she was.


	4. A Very Unexpected Invitation

*A/N I don't own Ladybug characters. (Do I have to say this every time?)

* * *

Ladybug's shoulder hurt a lot, but she couldn't let him know that. That would give away her identity. She pushed an angry and painful groan back down her throat, trying to appear as confident and proud as she did each time she defeated evil.

Why had she been so stupid? Why would she lead Chat Noir _away_ from the room in the first place? Why did she take the hit for him when he was stronger than she had been at the moment, and probably could've dodged if she had just called out to him instead of pushing him out of harm's way?

Luckily, Alya and her blogging hadn't gone far, and Marinette was able to recover her purse quick enough to get to Chat Noir just in time. Her speedy excuse for having to ditch Alya was mediocre at best, but everyone was so distressed, per usual, that Marinette had been able to slip away and transform fairly easily. She figured she made it through the fight well enough, without incurring Chat's suspicion of her secret identity, but as soon as Chat Noir outstretched his fist to her, she struggled to act natural as she bumped her own against his.

With what Ladybug hoped was a pain-free smile, she began to hurry off, aware of her slight staggering. She resisted the urge to lift her hand up to clutch at her hurt shoulder.

"Uh, one moment, my lady."

Ladybug stopped in her tracks.

"About… _yesterday_ …"

She started, heart pumping at the thought of how personal she had gotten with her partner last night. "Sorry, Chat, my Miraculous is runni…"

"Did you go for it?" Chat Noir asked. He took a step towards her, sliding the baton behind him. "Are you happier today?"

Turning her head over her shoulder, Ladybug sighed, "He's as blind as ever, kitty."

Letting his face fall with hers, Chat offered a joke, "Maybe we should've saved those glasses, huh?"

Ladybug laughed. She raised a hand in parting and darted into a faraway classroom to transform, gripping her shoulder in pain.

* * *

Adrien looked both ways before exiting the classroom he had transformed in. School was most likely dismissed, as if often was when an akuma would attack, but Adrien didn't want to go home just yet. The attack had been so short, he was positive maybe Ladybug would stick around. Maybe even talk more. He really loved talking, especially with her. But his partner seemed out of it today; maybe she really needs rest. Adrien sighed, nodding to himself that it was for the best that Ladybug had left so quickly.

Plagg grumbled from his shirt pocket, "Well, that was a weak akuma."

"I wouldn't say that exactly, Plagg. After all, I couldn't take it down myself."

"Right, that reckless girl in pink had to throw the warmest, coziest scarf ever at other you," the kwami spat. "That was my sleeping space."

Adrien pulled the scarf from his bag, "We got it back, Plagg. No need for all these complaints." He slipped it around his neck, fingers brushing it a moment longer than necessary.

It was a very warm and cozy scarf, but that wasn't the reason this scarf was Adrien's favorite. This one was his favorite because of his father's thoughtfulness in getting it, possibly _making_ it, for him. His shoulders rolled back as he felt a bit prouder at the thought; Gabriel Agreste had never done anything like the scarf for him before, and Adrien thought maybe it would be the start of a new kind of life between them. Of course, it wasn't, but Adrien could always hope.

"Also, that dumb girl in pink taking the baton strike for you." Plagg whistled, burying himself in Adrien's shirt. "Now, _that_ was something."

Adrien nodded to himself, "It sure was." He gulped remembering Marinette; maybe he should try and find her before he left for home. What would he say, though? Only Chat Noir knew of her injury.

"Speaking of something, you got cheese?"

"You're horrible," the boy responded with an eye roll, pulling a piece of cheese from his bag's pocket.

"Thank you!" Plagg shouted, flying out of the shirt briefly to grab the cheese before disappearing again.

Realizing his return home was inevitable and that Nino and the others had probably already ran away from the school due to fear from the attack, Adrien slowly strolled out to his car. If he had to go home, at least he could postpone it a few seconds with slow, thoughtful steps.

Adrien felt very content for the first half of the ride back to his house. The moments after the battle were the best, when he was back to Adrien but still felt like the mask was still covering his face. A hint of a smile was almost always on his face, and jokes were always at the tip of his tongue. But the second half of the ride was when the crushing reality of his life was beginning to hit him again. He was Adrien, at least, right now he was. And Adrien, quite frankly, was _not_ Chat Noir.

It was going to be another long night at home again. Alone.

With a short breath, he muttered under his breath to Plagg as he was walking into his house, "We're probably going out again tonight."

"You were just…"

"I know, but I have to patrol," Adrien reasoned.

"You know, Ladybug doesn't patrol every night like you do, Adrien," came the kwami's answer.

"I know."

"So why…"

To silence the kwami, Adrien shoved more cheese into his shirt as he walked through the kitchen on his way up to his room. Plagg shut up and let Adrien enter his room in peace and quiet, left with his thoughts for a the long hours until it was past midnight, and he could slip out his window as a masked hero of Paris unseen.

* * *

Marinette rotated her shoulder in circles, cringing with each rotation. She let her fingers probe the bruising area lightly, making her shiver with a small shock of pain with each touch. The girl sucked in air harshly through her teeth, "Ouch."

"If it hurts, stop doing it!" Tikki whined, flying around the girl nervously.

"I can't help it! Normally, as Ladybug, my injuries just fade away with the cleansing light! But I wasn't injured as Ladybug, and this was a more serious injury than I expected." She moved her shoulder again, gasping, "It's just weird that it hurts so bad."

Tikki was stunned into silence for a moment before letting out a giggle through her anxious whimpers, "You're so strange, Marinette."

"Tikki!"

"In the best way!" her kwami assured her.

Marinette giggled as she stood up to walk over to her design table and the jacket that was due in a few days. No time to be lost with pointless injuries. She bit her tongue and got to work.

* * *

Chat Noir had no clue where he was going. He was just leaping on a whim, landing without purpose, and running from rooftop to rooftop with his instinct.

It just felt good to be out as Chat, but part of him worried he was growing too attached to it. What if he never wanted to return to Adrien? He had realized a long time ago that he was already almost at that point. Though it was an awful thought, Chat partly loved the days when akumas were unleashed. It meant Adrien was free to forget about himself and his life and be Chat Noir, who was almost the complete opposite of Adrien Agreste. Being Chat also meant he could be with Ladybug. Biting his lip, he tried to hide the thought.

With a sigh, the hero slowed down, crouching on a rooftop to watch the stars for a moment, his smile only widening. How many other teens got to leap between rooftops whenever they wished to view the night sky of Paris so freely? Chat was pretty lucky.

Looking down from the stars, his eyes caught something strange. Lights still on. Plus movement creating shadows, showing someone was up and about. It was well past midnight. Who in their right mind was still awake and busy? Okay, well, besides himself.

A light wind swept Chat's hair from his forehead as he crept a bit closer to the edge of his roof, holding onto it with his claws as he leaned out to peer closer through the window.

With slight surprise, Chat Noir noted that he recognized the building. It was the bakery Marinette lived above. This made his thoughts returned to Marinette and her injury because of him. He was really wondering how she was doing. She couldn't have been doing awful if she was moving around fine just now, as he could see.

Thinking he would just stop by and see how she was doing, the superhero leapt through the air, landing on her terrace. Once he was on all fours on the stones above her room, his eyes widened.

 _Why did I jump? It's past midnight! I can't just show up at Marinette's! It's… It's Marinette's!_ His thoughts were stopped by a long scream inside his head. At least she probably didn't notice him. He could just sneak away unnoticed! Grabbing the sides of his face, Chat Noir rose to leave when suddenly, the trap door to the terrace opened.

"Who's there?" her voice was shaky.

 _As it should be shaky, moron! It's past midnight!_ Chat Noir yelled at himself. He froze in place, thinking maybe if he didn't move, he could blend in with the blackness of the sky and just wait for her to go back inside before slipping away. It was a brilliant idea.

"Chat Noir? Is that you?"

Or not so brilliant.

Chat choked down a terrified yelp. His eyes closed tightly as the superhero composed himself. He spun smoothly to face her, "Oh, yes, princess. It's me! I just came by to check on how you're doing!" His fingers grabbed his tail, and he swung it in what he hoped was a nonchalant way. One arm bent outwards as he searched for something to lean on casually, but he ended up just losing his balance a bit. There wasn't anything near him to lean on. A blush began to creep up his neck.

His mind yelled more. _Calm down, Adrien!_

The hero squinted to see through the dark how Marinette looked. He was shocked that her hair was down, waving in the slight breeze. She wasn't smiling or glaring, more neutral. And she looked exhausted. Okay, maybe she looked a bit annoyed with him. Or did she look on edge? A bit relieved? His head was spinning trying to figure it out, so he decided to just stop trying.

"Why are you awake?" he asked, letting his tail go and setting his hands on his hips unnaturally. She was in pajamas. He tried to look away, but her voice drew his eyes back to her.

"You _just_ came by to see how I was doing?" she asked, ignoring him, hand grabbing at her shoulder.

Chat felt guilty, "You _were_ hurt." He began to step closer to her before stopping himself. It was past midnight, and she didn't really know him, with or without the mask. It would be wrong even if she did know him. Instead, he opted to take a step back. "I'm sorry, I should go. I don't know what I was thinking…"

"Uh," Marinette seemed very torn. One part of her definitely looked relieved for some reason now, but the other part looked more unsure.

At least, Chat thought that's what her expression was. He was having a hard time figuring out what his classmate was thinking. She was biting at her thumbnail, peering through her trap door into her room.

"I would invite you in, but my parents _probably_ have rules about that sort of thing…"

His hands waved wildly. _Invite him in?_

"Probably, I mean, I'm not really sure. I've never had boys on my roof past midnight…"

"I understand! I wasn't expecting to... I should really..."

"You came to check on me?" she interrupted. Squinting again, Chat Noir saw the girl was starting to smile a bit. Her fingers played with the ends of her hair. He had never seen it down before. It looked really good actually. Her head tilted slightly. "Uh, Chat?"

Chat was reduced to such a rambling mess. Hopefully, she would give him mercy for his idiotic stammering. He really hadn't expected to show up there that night. Taking a deep breath, he started over, "I, well, I just… Of course, princess. It was my fault after all. Would you… do you want me to look at the injury? I've had quite some experience with them myself. Saving Paris _countless_ times and all."

Chat Noir bit his tongue. _Look at the injury?_ What did that even mean? On top of that, he wasn't even sure he could help her. Normally his injuries were healed by the Miraculous. He might be a bit sore after the worst of the attacks, but nothing as serious as Marinette's shoulder probably was.

And did he really just _brag_?

Her eyes flashed back to her room below before they slid back at Chat Noir. "Okay," she told him. Then, Marinette began to laugh a bit, "Just for a little bit, though. I should really be sleeping right now."

An unexpected warm feeling surged through him, along with surprise. He was certain she would say no. This was… well, this was Marinette, right? If he knew anything about her, it would be that…

Chat's thoughts stopped as he looked at her concerned glance, her eyes wide and striking and worried about him.

Adrien was hit with the realization that he didn't know _anything_ about Marinette.

Well, he knew she liked designing and pink. But all the other things, the important things, like why she would take a hit for him and allow him into her room this late… Those were mysteries to him.

"Chat? Oh, was that just an empty invitation. Well," she smiled good naturedly, "thanks for checking on me. Paris is lucky to have you as their protector."

"No! No! It wasn't empty. I just, I was surprised that you would allow me in, princess," Chat hurried to respond, trying to appear composed. The girl standing across from him seemed to be so calm and collected while he was going into a mild frenzy trying to think of what was the right thing to do in this situation.

"Well, I trust you, Chat Noir," Marinette answered easily. Like it was obvious. A fact. She had blue eyes, he wore spandex, and she trusted him.

"Uh, well… o-okay…"

She gave him a look, a very familiar look, before gesturing for him to follow her, "Come on in."


	5. Fateful Accident

*A/N I don't own the characters. And also, I didn't realize they're called derby hats and not bowler hats so... apologies for that problem.

* * *

Marinette kept her hand on her shoulder as she screamed internally. Why would she invite him in?! No one in their right mind would allow a stranger, a BOY, into her room after midnight! Sure, she trusted Chat Noir, but still, this was strange. The fact that he was on her terrace was strange. The fact that he was worried about her was strange.

But at least that's all it was. She feared for a split second that he had figured out her identity. Marinette didn't know what she would do if that had been the case. Probably lock her trap door to the terrace and curl up on her bed for a long time screaming.

A part of her wondered if maybe he was lying. Maybe Chat _was_ here because he knew she was Ladybug, and he was just messing with her. Marinette shook her head and tried not to think about it. It gave her a headache.

Chat Noir was right behind her as she descended the stairs to the main floor of her room. His presence was hard to ignore. She began to wonder, yet again, why she had thought to allow him in. They could've talked on the terrace. They could've. Why didn't she just say that? Why didn't she? She gave a low groan to herself, shaking her head slightly in embarrassment.

"I like it, princess. It suits you," Chat Noir murmured as he walked passed her and started to look around her room.

Marinette's eyes opened wide. _The pictures._ She hurried around, trying to take down as many Adrien photos as she could. If Chat found out, Marinette knew he would somehow make fun of her for it. That's just how he was. The girl whispered soft apologies to her precious pictures as she tore them from her walls roughly.

"Woah, is that your design space?" Chat asked, stepping closer over to her sewing machine.

"Yes! It is! You should look at that for a couple moments!" Marinette gratefully accepted that as a distraction, tugging at posters left and right, hurrying to shut down her computer, and sliding picture frames into her desk drawers. Once she was done, Marinette slumped over her desk with a relieved sigh.

"Is this why you're still awake?"

She turned to look at the superhero, who was holding up her jacket design and gesturing at the fabric lying by her sewing machine. "Oh, yes. It's for a school project."

"It looks very…"

His voice was cut off by something very loud falling from the ceiling. Marinette looked behind her with a yelp. _Adrien's schedule._ She hurried up to it, shoving it back into her ceiling desperately. She knew she was being very loud, but the fear of her parent's hearing her awake was the least of her troubles at the moment. Chat Noir definitely could _not know_ about this.

"What's…"

"Curiosity killed the cat!" she shouted.

His voice was smooth as he replied, "Oh, but, princess, didn't you know satisfaction brought it back?"

Marinette rolled her eyes as she struggled.

"So what is it?" Chat Noir asked playfully.

"Nothing! It's nothing!"

Chat Noir remained silent, probably smirking to himself, as Marinette struggled to hide her evidence of being an almost stalker. She had never really expected anyone other than Alya to be in her room for this long, so the possibility of anyone else knowing about this schedule was crazy to her. Not too crazy now, though, considering her situation. She decided maybe it was time to take it down or at least make harder to unroll from the ceiling.

Once it was back in its place, Marinette clutched at her shoulder, panting from her exertion and exhaustion. She had almost forgotten all about her injury during her photo frenzy, but now there was a dull pain shooting constantly from her shoulder.

"Here, sit down," Chat's voice called from her chaise.

"I'm really fine," she answered, though she sat.

"No, I insist, Marinette," Chat Noir told her sincerely. He gingerly removed her hand from her shoulder, setting it in her lap with a kind expression on his masked face. It was strange seeing this side of Chat Noir, the kind that wasn't constantly flirty and making awful cat puns. He continued on in a soft voice, "It's my fault you got into this mess anyways."

"I made the choice to get into this mess, Chat Noir," she shrugged, turning to face him. "It's not your fault."

Their eyes met and refused to part, and in that moment, Marinette found herself a bit weak. She really didn't know Chat Noir had this side to him. So gentle, so caring. First, he surprised her by showing up here in the middle of the night, and now she was surprised by his kindness towards her. If he knew she was Ladybug, maybe she would've expected it. But at the moment, she was just Marinette. Chat had no reason to be this kind to her.

With a tiny smile, he broke the eye contact. His hands gently touched her shoulder. She cringed a little, so he muttered an apology but kept feeling the injury. He was leaning over her so close that the edges of his hair almost brushed against her cheek. She sort of wanted to lean forward, just to see what it would feel like. Blush immediately burned her face in embarrassment.

"It's really fine," Marinette breathed out, feeling more and more light-headed from his touch the longer his gloved fingers felt her shoulder.

It was probably just because of her shoulder pain. It couldn't be because he was so close to her. He was always this close to her when she was Ladybug. But being with Chat as Marinette was just different, and she wasn't sure if she liked it. She felt very vulnerable, like he would figure her out any moment now. She had already had to bite down a few times she wanted to call him "silly kitty."

"I don't think it's out of place of anything," Chat Noir mumbled. "Is it bruising?" After a long pause of him staring at nothing in particular, he pulled his hands away, "It probably is. Ice it often for these first couple days. Unfortunately, I don't think it will feel really natural for a week or so."

"I was expecting as much," Marinette sighed, standing up. "Thanks, Chat Noir." She let her hand drag against his own shoulder as she walked past him towards her jacket.

"You should really be resting…" his voice trailed off.

His concern made her smile. She told him from her sewing table, "This design is due the end of the week."

"Yeah, but isn't it just the design itself? You don't have to make the product, princess. That's just overachieving."

Marinette spun to face him, feeling a strange smile cross her face, "How'd you know?"

* * *

Chat Noir's eyes widened while he grabbed at his tail sheepishly. He had gotten complacent and forgotten who he was around. Marinette was smart. He knew that. Being around her was just too comfortable and familiar. Tonight's accident seemed less and less like a mistake as the night went on.

"Oh, so the kitty _does_ go to my school, does he?" Marinette laughed slyly. She didn't press him any further, much to his surprise. Instead, she began working on her design, as if forgetting he was even there. Why was he there? He didn't even give her much help about her shoulder. He didn't even really need to touch it to know that she should just be icing it. Some part of Chat knew she wouldn't waste her precious time icing her shoulder, and that stressed him out a bit.

Planning on forcing her to take care of herself, Chat found himself slowly making his way to Marinette, watching over her shoulder as she referenced her sheet and sewed the pieces together. His demand died on his lips as he watched her skilled hands at work.

A certain part of the design caught his eye. "What's that?"

Marinette let out an embarrassed laugh, "Oh, that's just my signature."

"Your signature?"

"I put it into every design I make. So no one can steal my ideas," she answered. Marinette stood up quickly, hurrying over to another desk in the room. She pulled a box towards her and reached into her drawer to pull out a key. After opening the box, her hands went through it quickly. Papers slowly drifted onto the desk next to her as she rifled through them.

The drawings on top caught his eye immediately. They were of the jacket she was making, he was sure of it, but they were on a model. The model's hair was hastily colored with a bright yellow color, and he wondered for a split second if maybe they were of him, Adrien. Shaking the thought from his head, he focused on the sheet Marinette was now holding in front of his face.

"I would show you the actual product, but I'm afraid I don't have it," the girl replied once his fingers curled around the paper.

It was her winning bowler hat design. "Oh, I remember this one."

Marinette's head tilted to the side, "What?"

"I mean… Adrien Agreste modeled this design, right?" Chat Noir questioned with an incredibly forced laugh.

"H-h-he did. It won a school contest." To his surprise, Marinette was blushing.

He let out another laugh, though shorter and more private than the previous one, before focusing on the sheet.

"It's here," she told him, reaching a slim finger around to point out the signature she was talking about. "When you turn the hat over and look at the embroidery, it's my name. It looks like regular stitching, but it's really like a watermark."

Chat lowered the design sheet to look at her.

"Clever, right?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her and looking at him with wide, expectant eyes.

His voice was caught in his throat. How did he not catch it before?

"Are you okay, Chat Noir?" Her gaze deepened, and she looked so concerned for him, it almost physically hurt.

His hand tightened on the paper before he set it down with a bit too much force; the sewing table shook a little. Chat tried to smile at her, but it was impossible. She was worried about him when she was the one who was injured, and he was really just a jerk who hadn't noticed earlier something so crucial about her.

"Do you need…"

"I'm sorry about all this," Chat Noir apologized. He needed to leave. Now. He avoided her eyes. "I'm sorry for intruding…"

"It's okay."

"I should go." He started towards the ladder they had come down so he could get back to the terrace. He felt awful. Marinette was such a kind person. How had he not known before? How could he sit in front of her in class and never even try to get to know her? "I'm sorry."

"Chat Noir, what's wro…"

He didn't respond, instead opting to hurry to the terrace quicker and leap off into the night, leaving a concerned Marinette behind him.

* * *

Marinette's hand brushed her shoulder as she watched Chat Noir hurry off. Concern flooded her thoughts.

"Marinette?"

"Oh, Tikki. You can come out now, he's gone."

"What was that all about?" Tikki asked, flying up next to Marinette.

They watched the window as the superhero's silhouette grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Looking outside made her realize just how late it was; she should really be getting to sleep soon.

"I have no idea what happened, Tikki. He just… left," the girl shook her head, worried. Chat Noir was totally different around her when she was Marinette. But that wasn't what confused her the most. He just suddenly darted off, looking at her sadly as if she were dying or something like that. "Something's wrong. Did I do something?"

"Maybe he was embarrassed to be in your bedroom after midnight. Obviously, he didn't mean to come here," Tikki laughed.

Marinette giggled, bewildered, "It was strange, wasn't it? Just to check on me? At one in the morning? Silly kitty." She closed her trap door to the terrace and settled into bed. Her eyes were closed with thoughts of Adrien playing on her eyelids when her kwami spoke up.

"Why'd you do that today, Marinette?"

She was startled by Tikki's soft voice, leaning up on her elbows and asking, "What do you mean?"

"I mean taking the blow for him. I was scared for you once you came back and transformed. You seemed really hurt."

"Oh, Tikki! I didn't mean to frighten you…"

"But why did you do it?"

Marinette pressed her back against her bed frame and offered her hands to Tikki. Her kwami settled into her hands while she shook her head gently, "I couldn't just let him get hurt. Not right there in front of me when I could help him."

"Oh, Marinette. See! You are more like Ladybug than you think," Tikki smiled, snuggling into Marinette's warm hands.

Sliding farther into her covers for rest, Marinette smiled to herself. Maybe she was. Maybe she could be Ladybug enough to get Adrien's attention. She could make Alya proud, and make a move instead of moving on.

Marinette resolved to try to express herself to Adrien again.

 _Speaking of Adrien…_

"Tikki, he almost saw my Adrien schedule," Marinette whispered.

The two laughed lightly as Marinette drifted asleep.

* * *

Plagg was thrown from the transformation as Adrien stalked darkly over to his school bag.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's up with this, Adrien?!" the kwami grumbled, startled.

Ignoring Plagg, Adrien glared into his bag, exhaling in frustration at what he found.


	6. The Signature

*A/N I don't own the characters.

* * *

"Well, I hope you're in a better mood now than you were last night. And while we're on the topic of last night, what's Marinette going to think of Chat Noir now that you completely embarrassed yourself by showing up at her house in the middle of the night? Huh?"

Adrien rubbed the sleep from his eyes, sitting up to Plagg's annoying voice rather than an alarm as any normal teenager does. "Did I really show up in the middle of the night?"

"You did, moron."

He fell back into his pillow with a huff.

What had he been thinking? Last night was all one mistake after another. Adrien was embarrassed for all the things he had done, all the things he had learned that he would've rather not known. And not only did Adrien feel embarrassed but slightly anxious. School would be hard and awkward. Being around Marinette would be awkward now, too, knowing what he did now about…

"What had you so moody anyways?" Plagg demanded, settling on Adrien's forehead annoyingly. This caused the boy to decide to wake up completely, seeing no more benefit from hiding in bed. "Adrien, are you listening to me?!"

Adrien pushed his kwami off and jumped out of bed to get ready for school. He let out a long breath, running his hands through his hair tiredly on his way to his closet. "I was not moody, Plagg."

"Great answer. Really truthful. Where's the cheese? You didn't really feed me last night," the kwami grumbled.

Ignoring Plagg, Adrien prepared for school in a trance. His frustration from last night slowly lessened the longer he was awake. But as he grew more aware of his actions from the prior evening, the boy grew anxious. How could he talk to Marinette today without creating a massive scene and without seeming too suspicious? Would he even be able to face her? His hand touched his stomach where he felt it churning over itself. Though he was nervous, Adrien knew he had to say something about his discovery to her. Marinette.

Suddenly, he was in the car on the way to school, unsure how he had gotten there and unsure if he had fed Plagg or not. The kwami was snuggled up in his school bag, still muttering annoyingly from time to time, so maybe Plagg had found some cheese somewhere. Adrien didn't blame him for being irritated this morning. For some reason, he had dragged Plagg out into the city after midnight just so he could have an unexpected and awkward encounter with Marinette. He blushed just thinking about it.

Marinette deserved some sort of explanation for why he had left so suddenly the night before, and if not from Chat Noir, maybe at least he could give her one from Adrien. He knew the thoughts would plague him until he finally said something to her, so he promised himself that he would say something to Marinette as soon as he saw her.

Adrien felt his eyes widen as he realized the last time he saw her was late at night in her bedroom while she was wearing her pink pajamas with her hair down. The sight seemed like a secret, like Adrien shouldn't have seen her like that. She had looked so cute, so different than usual. Another side of Marinette he realized he didn't know. How many people did know that side? Did this make Chat Noir special? The idea excited him a bit, a slight grin wanting to spread across his face. Maybe Adrien was _excited_ to see her.

His anxiousness smothered the smile quick enough. Shaking his head embarrassedly, Adrien exited his car and hurried up the steps to school. Nino was waiting for him, but Adrien couldn't stop now. His nerves were only growing at the thought of seeing Marinette's face. He sprinted right up the stairs and kept going straight past his best friend, hands trembling.

"Bro?" Nino's voice called.

Adrien was rushing up the steps to his classroom, praying Marinette was there. He didn't know what he'd so if she wasn't. She had to be there. His hands gripped his bag's strap so no one would see them shaking. Taking a deep breath, Adrien stepped into the room, looking for Marinette inside.

She wasn't there.

The boy felt his heart thump a bit off rhythm in his chest. Well, she had been up fairly late last night, partly in thanks to him. The silly girl would probably stumble in late again with some funny excuse like she did often.

That made Adrien wonder how often Marinette stayed up that late working on designs. He thought of all the times she was tardy; it was quite often. Almost as often as he would be if he were late due to his Chat Noir patrols. Adrien laughed. He and Marinette had more in common than he previously thought.

Nino slid into the seat next to him with five minutes until class started. Luckily, his face didn't appear to look hurt so much as confused as to why he had been ignored on the steps. "Adrien, what's up, man?"

"Nothing, I just had a strange night," Adrien responded, distractedly staring at the doorway.

Nino raised an eyebrow, beginning to ask about what exactly he meant by strange, but Adrien tuned him out because at that moment, Marinette came hurrying into class, a triumphant smile on her face for being on time. His eyes followed her as she slid into her seat, pushing her hair back into place while breathing hard. Alya began to laugh, causing Marinette to giggle slightly, too.

Adrien faced back forward, gulping anxiously.

"Adrien?" Nino murmured next to him.

He stared at his desk intensely, hands shaking slightly.

 _Now or never, Adrien._

Nino and Alya were conversing next to him quietly. Maybe they were talking about him. Adrien didn't care. He knew what he had to do. The boy felt he would actually die if he didn't say _something_.

His shaking fingers reached into his bag and pulled out the blue scarf. Nervously he spun to face Marinette, still hiding the scarf from her view. The boy tried to will his body to stop trembling, but he couldn't seem to calm down. And looking up at her only made it worse.

Marinette was fanning her slightly sweaty face and leaning back in her chair, trying to steady her breathing. Adrien cleared his throat, looking up at her from under his eyebrows shyly. He realized that clearing his throat meant she was about to look at him. Would his stomach ever stop doing what it was doing? He moved his nervous energy into his leg, bouncing it up and down while clearing his throat again to get her attention.

Her eyes shot down to glance at him, and Adrien could almost pinpoint the moment she stopped breathing. His breath escaped him, as well.

No words were exchanged between the two. Instead, he felt his eyes shift away from her strong gaze. The scarf grew heavy in his hands as his fingers messed with the soft yarn. He expected someone, anyone, to say something, but no one in the classroom did. Especially not the girl in front of him. With a determined breath, Adrien met Marinette's eyes once more. Then, he reached up and set the scarf between them.

* * *

Marinette's heart stopped. It flat out stopped, which couldn't possibly be healthy. First, there was his adorable little clearing of his throat, and then he was looking at her like that, under his eyebrows so endearingly. So adorable. So perfect. So utterly _Adrien_.

His eyes looked into her so intently for a long moment, enough to make Marinette begin to suffocate from lack of breathing.

But her heart started up again three times as fast when Adrien set her scarf between them.

* * *

She wasn't speaking. Shoot, would he have to say something? Adrien had expected Marinette to rattle some weird speech off at the sight of her scarf, but she didn't. Was she still going to let him believe it wasn't her that made this for him? Would she admit it was hers? If she did, what would he say next? Would things change? He let his eyes wander back to hers for a moment.

What was going on in her head?

Because his head was spinning frantically, unsure of what to do, say, or think next.

After a moment more of shared eye contact, he reached up and flipped the end of the scarf up to reveal her tiny signature in the corner of it. The signature he had assumed was just some intricate stitching.

Her eyes shot from the signature to his face and back and forth rapidly as a squeak started on her lips. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but his stomach tightened every single time her eyes found his again.

Marinette's hand reached out for the scarf as if she was going to touch it. He gulped. It was hers, without a doubt. He continued to look at the girl in front of him. All this work for him. A birthday gift from the girl who sat behind him in class that he knew liked to design and liked pink but knew nothing else about him. She had taken all that time just to make him a scarf for his birthday. Not only that, but she let him think it was his father's gift. Why did she do that?

How was he so blind? Gabriel Agreste wasn't the type of man to do that, was he? Was Adrien really so desperate that he would believe that his father would think of a gift so thoughtful?

It had been Marinette.

Adrien's eyes darted away, and the only words he found himself able to say at all were, "I'm sorry."

* * *

Her head shook slightly. Was he returning it? Was Adrien saying sorry because he couldn't accept it now that he knew it was from her? How did he know it was hers suddenly? Marinette felt her hands begin to get sweaty, and looking down, she noticed they were clenched into extremely tight fists. Alya was hitting her underneath the table softly. Marinette barely registered it. She tried to loosen her hands, but it wouldn't work. A sickness began to settle in her stomach.

Adrien wouldn't meet her gaze, so she stopped looking at him. He had blushed slightly, hadn't he? Or did she make that up? Should she make a move? Was this the time? Her brain started to hurt with all the confusion going on. She closed her mouth, stopping her squeaking, and tried to look as composed as possible. She was failing, she was failing, she was failing.

She must've looked like she was falling apart.

Why wasn't Adrien saying anything? What did his words mean? What did his _silence_ mean? Her head continued to shake, and she finally braved a glance at Alya and Nino, wondering if they had any answers of their own. The two looked just as confused as she was.

Adrien reached a hand behind his head and scratched at his hair. His voice was incredibly soft. "I'm sorry I didn't notice earlier, Marinette."

Her eyebrows rose slightly as she felt tears begin to enter her eyes. He was upset. He looked upset. Was it because it was from her? Why did she put her signature on it? Well, because it was hers, wasn't it? Her gift to her perfect Adrien for his birthday.

 _Remember, Marinette?_

Her whole body was shaking now, "Wh-what are you talking about? That little stitching there? What a c-c-cool design! Wh-why are you apologizing to me, A-Adrien?"

Obviously, he didn't want the gift to be from her. It made Marinette's heart hurt, but if the only way to make Adrien happy again was to lie about the scarf, then she would do it. For him.

His eyes met hers, jaw slightly clenched. Was that a tremor in his hand?

She gulped, trying to compose herself again.

His mouth opened as the bell rang again.

Marinette found herself looking at him desperately, wanting him to continue despite the bell.

He didn't. Instead, he spun around with the scarf wrapped in his hands tightly, putting his face into his desk in such a way that Marinette found adorable, yet frustrating. What was wrong with her beautiful, perfect Adrien?


	7. An Apology

*A/N These character's aren't mine.

* * *

Adrien was angry.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just talk to her? And why had she tried to play it off like that? Like it wasn't her beautiful handiwork that had created him such a wonderful gift?

He exhaled, furious with himself over the fact that Marinette had remembered his birthday, and he didn't know the first thing about her. For what's more, his birthday was months ago, and he had only just realized that the gift was secretly from her. And it couldn't have been meant to be a secret. Marinette had been acting slightly strange on the morning of his birthday. Was she trying to give him the gift? Oh, what a moron he was. Adrien rubbed his forehead against the smooth surface of his desk, wondering how his father had gotten his hands on her present for him.

His brain stopped, and Adrien sat up slowly, going limp in his seat.

His father had stolen her gift. His father had easily claimed Marinette's precious scarf as his own.

Adrien dug his fists into his temples, so utterly upset he couldn't begin to focus on the class work. Not knowing why he did it, Adrien spun in his desk to look at her for a split second before spinning back around just as fast.

He was going crazy.

How could she sit there so calm at a moment like this? His whole world was changing, and Marinette was sitting behind him writing down notes furiously as she paid attention to class. The idea of paying attention to literature during a time like this was humorous, yet she was doing just that.

Adrien snuck another peek at her from under his arm, their eyes meeting briefly before her gaze darted away, leaving him wondering if they had even made eye contact at all. He shook his head, trying to make sense of everything that was happening. Mostly, the boy was fidgety because of how aware he was over the fact that Marinette was right behind him.

Would there ever be a day when Marinette wouldn't surprise him? Now that he knew she was such a different person than he originally thought, was it even possible for her to stop shocking him? Adrien hoped she would. This one surprise was enough to make him a nervous wreck of a boy. And the only thing it took to cause all of this was one strange encounter with her as Chat Noir. His fingers rubbed at his lips while he fought a loud shout from escaping his lips. Marinette was just another classmate yesterday. Everything changed so fast. All because of that scarf, or really, all because of that one akuma attack.

That sent another string of thoughts through his head, wondering if Marinette's shoulder was okay. She seemed to be doing fine. But then again, Adrien hadn't been paying much attention to that when he had tried to talk to her. His selfishness was making him feel guilty; he should have asked her about her shoulder instead of immediately demanding answers. His face scrunched up tightly in thought. Would asking about her shoulder be too suspicious? After all, Chat was the one who had helped her, not him.

Adrien let out a long breath as soon as the bell rang for lunch. He turned around, but Marinette was long gone. Gulping nervously, he spun forward in his seat, cheeks burning. He had really wanted her to be there. The longer he went without resolving this issue, the harder his heart began to beat and the more his stomach rolled over on itself. Finally, his eyes found Nino next to him, who was staring at him with an extremely worried look. Maybe it was warranted.

"Alright, man, what was _that_ all about?"

* * *

"Alright, girl. What was _that_ all about?!"

"I have no idea, Alya!" Marinette swore, legs shaking nervously. She bit her lip with a small grin, "Did Adrien really just…"

"Spend all class holding your scarf? Yes. Spend all class trying to sneak peeks at you? Yes! Ooh, Marinette," Alya shook her head, laughing a bit in bemusement, "what did you do to the poor prince?"

"I think it was the scarf," Marinette muttered tensely, her smile disappearing.

"Bless your scarf!" Alya whooped.

"No, no, no, Alya! He was so happy it was from his dad. Adrien didn't want it to be from _me_! Now everything's ruined. Did you see how upset he was? He couldn't focus in class! His grades will go down! And then he won't graduate this year!"

"Marinette…"

"And then he'll be taken out of school for home-schooling! And I won't see him again, and we'll never date!"

"Marinette…"

"And we'll never get married and have two beautiful children that look just like him so I can squeeze their beautiful faces every day for the rest of my life!" She sucked in a long breath before grabbing the sides of her head and shaking it back and forth violently for a moment. Then, her hands went limp at her sides, and she slid far down on the bench silently.

"Marinette, weird dreams aside…"

"Alya, what do I do?" Marinette was shocked by her own small voice as much as her friend appeared to be. She was genuinely concerned for herself. Of course, she had dreamed of the moment Adrien would spin around in his desk and speak to her first, but Marinette had never dreamed for it to happen like this. She wanted a chance with him, but this seemed wrong. It was not how she had wanted it to be.

"Just let him thank you for the gift."

"But he doesn't want it to be from me!"

Alya rolled her eyes.

"I can't just… smile and let him say thank you when I know in my heart that he was happier when it was from his dad," she responded, her voice low. Her lip jutted out into a sad pout.

Alya grabbed her chin and pulled her gaze up, "Marinette, did you seem him blushing at you?"

Marinette blushed, "H-h-he was not!"

"He _so_ was, girl."

"Alya!"

"This is your chance to make a move! He was so obviously thinking about you all class long. He's at lunch right now talking to Nino about you."

"H-h-he is _not_!"

Alya held up her phone, showing a text from Nino.

"I can't read that!" Marinette glanced away, squeezing her eyes shut. "That's an invasion of Adrien's privacy!"

"Oh, and your schedule is so respectful of his privacy," Alya teased.

Marinette shook her head, hands clenched tightly in fists. She refused to let herself be tempted to invade Adrien's privacy through the text, as much as she really, _really_ wanted to.

"Fine! Don't read it. Just know he still has your scarf tight in his clutches," Alya told her with a teasing tone, smiling deviously at her friend.

Marinette slid farther down on the bench until her legs were completely hanging off, and her face was on the seat looking up at Alya. She didn't think she could blush anymore, yet with each new thought of Adrien, her face burned a little more.

"This is your chance, Marinette," Alya murmured encouragingly. "I say don't waste it, and just be yourself."

"What if he doesn't try to talk to me again?" Marinette whimpered.

"Simple! You talk to him first."

"Alya!" Marinette whined again.

" _Hey, handsome boy! I indeed made that scarf for you. Wanna go out?_ " Alya mocked in a Marinette tone.

Marinette laughed in response, though her mind was reeling a million miles a minute. Was Adrien going to talk to her again? If not, she knew Alya was right. She was going to talk to him even if he didn't speak to her first. For some reason, she found herself wishing Chat was here to see her going after Adrien. He was so encouraging when they had last spoken; she wondered what he would think of her now that she was going after what she really wanted.

She smiled to herself, _Silly cat._

* * *

"Really?" Nino asked him. "It was Marinette's scarf? That's what _that_ was all about."

"You don't understand, Nino, my father completely ignored my birthday again this year. He went as far as stealing Marinette's gift to make it seem like he cared."

Nino shrugged then opened his mouth to speak.

Adrien interrupted, breathily stating, "When really, Marinette was the one who had cared to make me this gift." He saw his friend begin to smile widely from his peripheral vision, but as soon as he turned to look at Nino, the smile was toned down.

"So?"

"So I was trying to thank her but… I don't know. I got nervous," Adrien muttered, looking at the scarf in her hands.

He heard a weird sputtering noise next to him. Turning his head slowly, Adrien watched as Nino struggled to hold in laughter.

"Wh-what?" he asked his friend, a bit self-conscious.

"You were that nervous before class and that upset all through class just because you were trying to say, _Thanks, Marinette_! Woah, boy! Really? Adrien, Adrien!"

Adrien stammered for a moment before saying, "Well, I barely know Marinette. I… I was _nervous_!"

"Yeah, you were. Everyone could see. Gee, you'd think you were trying to ask her to be your girlfriend or something with how much you were shaking!" Nino howled.

Adrien blushed furiously, not realizing his anxiousness had been that obvious. "I just need to tell her thank you, that's all, Nino. I'll just grab her after school." The bell rang, startling Adrien. "Was that shorter than usual?"

Nino smirked evilly, "You were just too concerned with a certain someone."

Adrien tried to roll his eyes but knew that Nino was telling the truth. Once he told Marinette thank you he would be able to focus again. He needed to just get this out of the way so his guilt and nerves would go away. Then, everything could back to normal.

Standing up to go back to class, Adrien found himself thinking about Ladybug again. She could help him focus. His beautiful lady always helped him focus, at least she helped take his mind off the girl sitting behind him enough that he could somewhat complete his class work.

 _Forget about Marinette for just a few minutes, Adrien._

As soon as the bell rang signaling the end of the day, he stood up quickly so that Marinette couldn't get away this time like she had at lunch.

Though he was fast, she had been faster. When Adrien looked behind him, Marinette was gone. With a long sigh, he shrugged his bag farther up on his shoulder and strolled out of the room with Nino at his elbow. Now he'd have to go all night long stressing about the scarf and his thank you to her the next day, if he even said it then. Would Marinette be avoiding him forever?

* * *

"Marinette!"

"I can't do it, Alya! You saw him. He was totally fine the second part of the day. He doesn't care anymore! I should just drop it."

Alya grabbed Marinette's arms and made her wait outside the school. She stared hard at her friend, ordering her to stay put simply with her glare. Then, she told Marinette, "Adrien is going to walk out here to get to his car, and you are going to wait and talk to him. Okay?"

"Alya…"

"Tell me you will, or else I'll wait here, too, and embarrass you while you speak with him."

Marinette gasped in shock, "Alya, you _wouldn't_!"

"Promise me!"

"What if…"

"Marinette…"

"How about…"

"Just promise, Marinette!" Alya shouted.

"Fine! I promise!"

Alya narrowed her eyes at Marinette, sticking her pinky finger out, "Now you can't back out."

Marinette reluctantly linked her pinky with her friend's and sighed, "I know, I know."

Alya smirked before rushing off home, turning around when she was farther away to make sure Marinette hadn't moved. Marinette offered her friend a small wave while her stomach churned with nerves. But, somehow, despite all the confusion and fear that she felt, there was an ounce of excitement. Well, more than an ounce.

Adrien seeking her out? How was she still on her feet? Would this become a regular thing, Adrien trying to speak with her? Marinette was already falling in love with the idea of never knowing when her beautiful, perfect prince would clear his throat to wake her from her imagination and speak with her. His stunning green eyes peering up at her from under his eyelashes romantically, causing her heart to pound right out of her chest.

She hoped these possible future conversations were never as awful and embarrassing for her as it had been this morning. Adrien had been so calm, too. His smooth movements as he pushed the scarf onto her desk. His nimble fingers flipping over the corner to show her small, stitched signature. His eyes slipping away from her gaze as he blushed.

Oh, the cute pink blush that brushed lightly across his cheeks was enough to make her want to jump and yell. She allowed herself a small wiggle of her knees and quiet-ish squeal instead, aware that Chloe was giving her a dirty look as she and Sabrina, totally made up from yesterday's fight, left the school together.

Marinette didn't know what she would say to Adrien or what he would even say to her, but the idea of him saying anything to her made Marinette's heart soar. She couldn't hide the smile on her face.

* * *

"Look at how happy she is. Should I really…"

"Adrien, I swear I will never speak with you ever again if you don't just go say thank you," Nino threatened.

"Ever again?" Adrien teased, with a raise of his eyebrows.

Nino pointed harshly in Adrien's face, attempting to look threatening. "Not for the rest of this week, I won't, bro."

Adrien laughed, trying to let out his nerves. He shook out his arms, but the tense feeling in his hands wouldn't leave. Nino set a hand on his shoulder, causing Adrien to look at his friend while receiving instructions for how exactly to avoid messing up his next conversation with Marinette.

"Just say thank you. Don't do any of those apologies for not knowing sooner. It'll just make you even more nervous."

"But I am sorry…"

"Dude…"

"What if I said…"

"Oh, for the love of Ladybug, if you don't go now, she'll leave," Nino sighed, shoving Adrien forward. "Text me tonight. Don't mess it up!"

"Nino!"

But his friend was off, hurrying away so Adrien was on his own. He sighed; it was better this way, with no one making him even more nervous than he already was. It was just Marinette, after all. Sweet, kind Marinette. He could do this.

Adrien took a few steps towards her, practicing a smile, when she turned to glance at him with a look of shock on her face. He stopped in his tracks, frozen by the look in her eyes. Parting her lips as if to call to him, she took a few steps to meet him in the middle. This prompted him to keep walking. He was suddenly aware of his strides and had to focus on not tripping. That would be embarrassing.

He tried to swallow his anxiety as he held up a hand in greeting, "Hello, Marinette."

She smiled confidently, but her voice betrayed her, "A-Adrien."

"I… I wanted to thank you for my scarf. Properly. So, well, thank you, Marinette," he nodded, sighing slightly in relief once he said it. He could leave easy now that it was said.

Though Marinette didn't say a word in reply, her smile was so bright that it almost blinded him.

With a nod, he backtracked a step as if to leave.

"See you tomorrow, then," she muttered, her smile faltering a bit. Adrien continued to look at her while she turned away slightly to twirl her ponytail around her finger.

How could he just leave as Nino had told him to, without an apology? That was bizarre, and not at all what Adrien would normally do at all. He felt sorry for possibly causing her hurt, and an apology was needed in his eyes. Though his nerves were attacking him again at full potency, Adrien found himself taking another step towards her, filling the gap that was between them. Her hand dropped from her ponytail in surprise as her face tilted towards him.

"I'm sorry for not saying thanks this morning. I was just nervous," Adrien admitted. "But I meant what I did manage to say. I am sorry for not noticing earlier that you had made it for me, Marinette. I am very grateful that you cared enough to make me something so thoughtful."

* * *

Marinette couldn't believe her eyes as Adrien made his way towards her. He had looked so nervous, so anxious. Nothing like the perfect vision she had had of Adrien in her mind, her calm and collected boy who was never fazed. At least, he was never fazed until now, when she had managed to somehow make him falter in his words. She had been the reason Adrien felt this unnerved, and it made her feel guilty.

Then he had thanked her for the scarf, which she didn't deny anymore per Alya's instruction, and apologized as if he had done something wrong when he hadn't.

"There's no need for you to be sorry," she answered him, somehow managing to keep her voice steady. She cleared her throat, avoiding his eye, "As long as I knew you liked it, I was okay with you not knowing who it was f-from." She cursed her voice for betraying her in the end.

Glancing up at him, she saw his eyebrows furrowed for some reason.

"So, h-h-happy birthday, Adrien. I know its late, but… I just wanted to let you know," she smiled, rubbing her arm anxiously.

Why wasn't he talking? Marinette felt her face beginning to burn in his silence. What she had said was actually pretty embarrassing when she thought long and hard about it; his birthday was forever ago. Marinette groaned internally at herself, wanting nothing more than to run and hide.

Then, she felt a pressure on her shoulder, thankfully not the one she had injured, but the other one.

Adrien squeezed her shoulder until she looked up to meet his eyes. "Thank you, Marinette."

Her heart began to beat quicker at his touch, one that lingered a second longer than probably necessary. With a small, reserved smile, Adrien walked over to his car and was driven away.

Marinette clutched the shoulder where Adrien's hand had just sat. She watched the car go with a dreamy expression on her face. Her purse knocked against her leg after a while, Tikki letting her know she should probably head home now.

The smile wouldn't leave Marinette's face as she hurried past her parents with a quick hello up to her room. She spun around happily before hurrying to the window to admire the view of Paris.

With a sigh, she smiled, thinking of her perfect Adrien.


	8. Guilt and Bliss

*A/N Not my characters.

* * *

Adrien was silent all the way home, unsure exactly what he was feeling. He was expecting Plagg's speech as soon as he had entered his room.

"I know, Plagg," the boy groaned immediately, "I was a total moron."

His kwami flew out from his bag and in front of Adrien's face, responding with a shrug, "Actually, I was gonna say you were really nice today."

"I was a mess. I just couldn't… Marinette was so…" He trailed off, breathing deeply, walking over to the windows in silence. "Adrien Agreste is collected. What would my father say if he saw me like that?"

"See, this is why cheese is better than people."

Adrien rolled his eyes, "Oh, enough with cheese, Plagg."

"Come on! You thanked her! You apologized! What's still got you all moody? You're acting like a real teen," Plagg grumbled, flying next to Adrien as he leaned against the glass, staring out into the city.

"She was content with me just being happy. She would've lied about the scarf being from her if that would've made me happier," he muttered, voice low.

"So, she's a nice girl. Nothing to get all emotional over," the kwami replied, sitting on Adrien's head.

Adrien pouted a bit, setting his hand on one of the panes, "It's not fair."

"What's not fair? How can you of all people say that? Look at your life. Look at your room."

"Not… not me." Adrien ran his hands through his hand, causing Plagg to have to shoot away with a huff. "It's not fair that she has so much kindness and compassion for everyone, and meanwhile, I'm stuck in my own selfish world, only caring about when I'll see Ladybug next."

Plagg was silent for a while before he asked, "Tonight, right?"

Adrien couldn't help but smile, "Of course." Then he shook his head frantically, "Stop that, Plagg. C'mon! Give me a speech or something. Tell me to be a better person."

"Look, just because you don't like someone back doesn't mean you're a _bad_ person."

"Like someone back? What are you talking about? I like Marinette just fine! She's a wonderful person, and I'm glad she considers me a good enough friend to have thought of my birthday," Adrien responded fiercely.

Plagg murmured to himself angrily before zooming off somewhere. Adrien sighed. He had only been concerned with his own guilty feelings over the scarf while Marinette was making sure he was okay. It made him feel strange, his stomach not having calmed down one bit since his interaction with her.

When Plagg's irritated noises grew louder, Adrien stated, "Cheese is in the…"

"I know where to find it."

And Adrien was completely alone with his thoughts. He sat on the ground with his legs crossed and forehead resting on the window glass, thinking more about Marinette. She was so kind to him both as Adrien and Chat Noir, and he couldn't think of one way to repay her. He had told her to ice her shoulder, but any person could've just looked that up on the Internet. He sighed, setting his chin on one of his hands. Looks like things wouldn't be going back to normal as soon as he had hoped.

Then, Adrien remembered Nino's request for a text about how it went. He stood up to retrieve his phone from his bag, seeing a text from Nino there already.

 _So you did it?_

Adrien looked up, thinking, before giving his answer.

 _Yeah, but it was weird she seemed okay if I had never figured it out_

He sat down at his desk and started homework while waiting for a reply. His phone began to vibrate, and Adrien saw that Nino was calling him. He picked up.

"You apologized, didn't you, bro?"

"Hey, Nino."

"You should've just stuck with a heartfelt thank you!"

"It didn't feel sincere enough," Adrien complained, fidgeting in his seat.

"I'm sure Marinette was just fine with a thank you."

Adrien stood up, having to move around. He scratched at his head while answering, "I honestly don't know how she felt about the whole thing. She's really… interesting."

Nino was silent on the other end.

"Meaning, well, she's very different from what I previously thought," Adrien tried to explain. He gently smacked himself on the forehead; this wasn't what he wanted to say about Marinette. She was fascinating, not just interesting. And more than different, she was… intriguing, surprising.

"Well, are you really that surprised? You've never really had that long of a conversation with her, have you?" Nino pointed out.

 _Until this week_.

"So, what now? Are you going to try to get to know her better or…"

Adrien was slightly surprised at the idea. "I don't know, Nino. I just know that I feel really bad about this whole scarf thing. I mean, it's all over, and she seems alright, but I just still…"

"Marinette is okay with it, Adrien," Nino reassured him.

Adrien knew Nino was probably right. Alya had probably already texted Nino the second Marinette told her anything. It meant he could just move on, right? Leave this whole mess behind him. Marinette would be just a classmate again. The scarf was just a gift from someone that wasn't his father.

"You there, dude?"

"I can't move past it. I can't stop thinking about how oblivious I've been," Adrien stated desperately, flopping down on his bed and kicking off his tennis shoes.

"Oblivious?" Nino asked, as if expecting and prompting some sort of answer out of his friend.

Adrien was confused while saying, "Yes. The bowler hat? Her signature was on it and matched the scarf. How did I not realize it then?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe you just have a problem seeing the obvious. You know, like what's literally _right in front of you_?"

"That's what I said, Nino." He groaned, "The whole conversation felt very much about me, too. I didn't think I was self-centered, but she… she was so concerned about how _I_ was feeling. The guilt is going to eat me alive."

"Look, maybe the best way to stop feeing guilty is to get to know her better. Maybe become better acquainted. Then you'll see that you shouldn't be feeling guilty at all," Nino suggested, voice incredibly steady. "It really all was just a big misunderstanding anyways, but it couldn't hurt to hang out with her a bit maybe."

Not knowing what else to say, Adrien joked, "You just want a reason to see Alya, don't you?"

"My motives aside," Nino responded, sounding very serious, "I think Marinette is fine. She must be considering your birthday was a while ago, and you haven't figured anything out until now. Right?"

Adrien nodded, forgetting he was on the phone. Just thinking about how long he had been wrong about her present made him feel even guiltier. Still, he told Nino, "Right."

Nino fell silent.

"So, you think… I'm fine?"

"I think you did great, man."

"Cool," Adrien gulped, trying to feel great. There had to be some way to make it up to her. He had no idea what she would want? Maybe he should just trust his friend's word. "Maybe… maybe I will get to know her better."

Nino's volume rose as he exclaimed, "Dude, that'd be awesome! You know, she's actually a pretty cool girl once you get past all her shyness and stammering."

Adrien let out a short laugh, realizing he already had kind of met that side of Marinette while being Chat Noir.

The idea struck him.

Nino's excitement seemed to dull a bit, "Adrien? You there?"

Marinette was different around Chat Noir. Maybe that was the key. If he could get to know her better as his alter ego, maybe he could find a way to somehow make it up to her as Adrien.

"Adrien, you okay, dude?"

"I've gotta go, Nino. Homework."

"Oh, I feel you, bro," Nino laughed. "We've got that group project and everything. Alya is breathing down my neck on that one!"

Adrien had completely forgotten about the group project. Not to mention, the design contest coming up in a few days. The teachers were really filling up every last space until break. Thinking about break brought a smile to his face. No duties besides the occasional modeling events meant more time as his alter ego.

After agreeing to talk later, Adrien hung up the phone and started with his homework. He was planning on meeting with his lady that night, but if he didn't get this homework done, the visit would be cut short.

And he needed every second he could get with her.

* * *

Marinette was in dreamland as she recalled the events after school countless times in her head. Alya had called her to get all the details, and Marinette gladly told her about Adrien's thank you with fondness. After hanging up, she continued to think about how Adrien had grabbed her shoulder and leaned down slightly to her level so he could stare into eyes. He was breathtaking when he gazed at her like that.

She thought about Adrien as she did her homework. She thought about his reserved smile towards her and his wide green eyes. For once he seemed to really see her, Marinette. She was visible in his eyes as maybe more than a classmate. That thought was enough to make the love struck girl light-headed with bliss. Sitting down to work on her jacket, Marinette realized maybe him learning about the scarf being from her this late was possibly just a stroke of good luck.

"Ouch!" Marinette hissed, sucking on her finger.

Tikki flew up next to her, settling on her shoulder, "Did you prick yourself again?"

"I'm just a bit distracted," the girl replied, stretching out her shoulder a bit before getting back to work on her jacket. After all, it had to be presented in two days.

"Thinking about Adrien still?" her kwami giggled.

Marinette chuckled a bit, too. "The way he looked at me, Tikki! He was charming and perfect and beautiful, but… he was different today. More…"

"Real?" Tikki offered.

"Real," Marinette breathed out thoughtfully, wondering if that was what Adrien had felt like today.

She found herself nodding. Adrien had finally spoken to her about something specific to them. Her eyes glanced up from her jacket to look at the picture of him she had put up on her wall again once she figured Chat Noir wouldn't be returning. She and Adrien had a memory now. A memory between the both of them, and Marinette shuddered with delight when she realized she was beginning to reach him. Maybe she wouldn't have to move on after all.

But Marinette didn't know what to do next. She wanted to keep getting to know him, speaking with him and maybe one day trying to ask him out again, yet an inkling of fear began to pierce through her immense joy.

"Tikki, what if he doesn't talk to me again?"

"Marinette…"

"It could've just been a thank you for the scarf. Nothing more," she reasoned, setting the jacket down and placing her chin in her hands.

Tikki shook her head, "It seemed like more than that."

Marinette struggled with the thought of it being only a one-time occasion. She very much wanted it to be more than that. A beginning. Something new. Yet, her own mind was pushing her down, telling her it was probably nothing. Marinette really didn't want to think like that. With a slight headshake, she stood up, hand tightened into a fist.

"Tikki, we're going out."

* * *

Chat Noir was beginning to think that maybe Ladybug wasn't coming out today. He found himself settling down on a random roof somewhere, peering out at the stars as they began to appear in the fading sky. The night was so appealing. It was like throwing a blanket over his life as Adrien and creating a world where Chat could be himself and not worry about anything. Well, he was concerned with one thing constantly. He looked behind him quickly. Where was she?

He laid his back flat against the roof, closing his eyes peacefully and enjoying the silence of Paris. Even if he didn't see Ladybug tonight, Chat knew he would see her eventually. Maybe his memories of her would be enough to help him through a day without her. While trying to summon an image of her, he found himself thinking about Marinette instead.

The hero's eyes flashed open to avoid the thought. Marinette had dominated his thoughts all day; he wouldn't let her replace Ladybug now when he needed her to badly.

The idea of getting to know Marinette as Chat had been… idiotic. The idea of getting to know her at all was surprising him. The image of a blushing Marinette in front of him telling him happy birthday, despite its lateness, was enough to make him want to cry. Marinette cared for Adrien; Chat knew that now. Maybe she had always wanted to be his friend, and he had been too oblivious to see it. Raising a hand to his face, he felt himself smiling.

Then, there was a noise behind him, footsteps.


	9. Warmth

*A/N I don't own these dorks. This was a hard chapter.

* * *

Chat hesitated for a moment before he leapt to his feet, getting in a ready position to possibly fight whoever was sneaking up on him. His baton twirled in his hand dramatically before the figure chuckled slightly, stopping him.

"Sorry to frighten you, kitty," Ladybug apologized. She stepped out of the shadows so he could see her better.

"No need _fur_ apologies, my lady. I was simply too deep in thought to realize it was my very own spotted beauty approaching," Chat smiled, standing up straight and putting his baton away. He bowed slightly, hearing her giggle. The sound was music to his ears.

Ladybug walked up past him, sitting down on the roof facing away from him and pulling her knees to her chest. Her shoulders fell as she let out a long breath. He wondered why she wasn't out patrolling like she always told him to do when she would stumble upon him lying around lazily, as she was now.

"How was _your_ patrol, Ladybug?" Chat asked, setting a hand on his hip and glancing down at her fondly, though slightly patronizing.

"Paris is safe," she told him swiftly. Her head leaned over her should to look at him better. "How are you, Chat?"

"My half was safe, as well," he grinned proudly.

"How are you doing?" Ladybug asked him again.

He peered down at her in confusion, "I finished my patrol."

His lady huffed, blowing a strand of hair from her face. "I'm trying to have a conversation with you, kitty. Do you want to talk or not?"

His mouth dropped open. She had been asking about _him_. Not the patrol. Chat's head began to spin with excitement. This was… new. He plopped down on the roof an appropriate distance away from her, crossing his legs in front of him. The hero felt his tail wave madly before dropping down with a soft thud.

"I take that as a yes?" Ladybug smirked playfully.

Chat felt a wide smile on his face, "Tell me about you first."

"Huh?"

"How are you doing today, my lady? Please tell me you're _feline_ fantastic," he winked. This whole situation felt like a dream. Just the two of them, Chat Noir and his beautiful lady, speaking casually on the rooftops of Paris with no other cares in the world. Chat felt so absurdly content; he figured it must be a crime to be so happy.

Ladybug was reachable now, as if a wall was being brought down gradually ever since they had spoken of her crush nights ago. The hero gulped, hoping the mystery boy wasn't the reason his lady had sought him out. His heart wouldn't be able to handle her gushing over him.

Ladybug smiled at her feet as she muttered, "Something amazing happened today, Chat. I… I think he might have noticed me."

 _Of course,_ Chat thought to himself. He felt the night settle heavily on his shoulders with the thought of Ladybug smiling and talking to this boy that was not him. His throat tightened, and Chat Noir knew it was time to bite his tongue. The silence lasted a moment too long, but he couldn't help it. Chat knew that if he spoke too soon he would only say something bitter about the crush, and that would probably send him back to square one with his lady.

After that moment of silence was over, Chat raised his eyebrows and said carefully, "Your blind prince has finally seen the light?"

"I'm not sure about that," Ladybug answered easily, stretching her legs out in front of her so that her toes were almost brushing against Chat Noir's crossed legs. "But things are going to change now. I… I feel it. Or, you could say, I'm _feline_ it." She laughed, nudging his leg with her foot jokingly.

Chat turned away from her, trying to hide his face from her. He knew he looked sad. Part of him wished his claws would reach up and rip the expression from his face forever, the frown so permanently etched on his features due to Adrien. He hated that frown. It was not supposed to be worn by Chat Noir.

"Chat, is something…"

"Wrong? I'm tired of everyone asking me what's wrong? Is something up? Why are you acting so weird?" He sighed, his hand creating a tight fist and pounding against the roof lightly. "Isn't it natural that something should be up? I'm a hero of Paris. There's… there's always something up."

There was silence on Ladybug's end, but Chat refused to look at her, embarrassed by his ramblings. He loved her too much. Why wasn't she speaking? He wanted her to help him, but how could he expect Ladybug to help him when she was the problem?

Not being able to help himself, Chat glanced up at the girl next to him, and the look she gave him told him it was his turn to speak now. She would listen to him. But he had no clue what to say.

"Ladybug," he murmured, "I like this girl. No, I… I love her with all my heart. So why does it hurt so much to be around her sometimes?" He felt his ears droop, but the relief Chat felt over expressing his feelings to her in this way was incredible. He wished that he could admit them fully, but he wasn't brave enough.

 _I love you, Ladybug._

He closed his eyes and imagined saying it to her.

"You told me, Chat," Ladybug started after a while, breaking him from his imagination.

His eyes slowly opened, looking away from her. When he refused to meet her gaze, he felt Ladybug's hands grab his cheeks and pull his face up to meet her gaze. Chat hadn't realized she had gotten so close to him.

"Chat, you told me to go after what makes you happy, even if there is pain along the way. I did, or, well, I'm trying to do that. And I know that there will be days when he still won't notice me, and I'll still be invisible, but I know that if I get at least one more moment like I had today, I can make it okay. I'll be okay so long as I can have him near me because I'm happiest with him. Whenever and however."

Chat Noir was angry to have his own words used against him. His lady could follow his advice because she was strong. Ladybug could go after her happiness because she could handle the pain of being without her prince; the few moments with she had with him were enough for her, enough to mask any pain. But Chat was so utterly weak and selfish. He couldn't believe that he would be able to settle for those few moments in a sea of pain. Just being around her wouldn't be enough for him. Not forever.

Ladybug's breath hit his nose, and suddenly, the hero was so painfully aware of how close to him she actually was. Chat could reach up and brush his lips against hers at that moment if he so desired. He desired. He wanted to kiss her badly. So badly that he felt himself unconsciously leaning towards her.

If Chat followed her advice, to go after his happiness, he would lose his best friend. Ladybug would choose her crush over him; she had made it clear that her heart belonged to another. They wouldn't meet like this anymore, and Chat would have to move on, as impossible as the thought seemed.

If he didn't follow the advice, his heart would continually ache around her, knowing that perhaps her lips were pressing against someone else's. But he would still have these moments on the rooftops at midnight when he could see her blue eyes and kind smile inches away from him.

Gulping, Chat stopped moving towards Ladybug. Instead, he took the hands from his face and returned them to his spotted beauty, darting his eyes away again.

There was no choice.

He couldn't lose her.

Even if she dated her prince, he knew he needed to be in her life. He smirked to himself, finally realizing what Ladybug had meant. The few moments were worth it, and maybe he could be strong enough to endure through the pain just so he could see her smile at him once more. Even if it meant he would never move on.

His eyes rose to meet her strong gaze, and Chat felt himself shrink away shamefully. Ladybug looked so concerned for him, and he just kept thinking about himself. They had barely spoken about her. The familiar guilty feeling from earlier in the day returned to his stomach. And just that feeling made Chat realize Ladybug's crush might not be the only reason he was distraught tonight.

He began to fidget. "You asked me how I was doing. And, well, something else is up. Aside from…" Chat trailed off. Exhaling, he said, "Ladybug, I hurt the feelings of a girl who had done nothing wrong to me ever in her life. How should I make it up to her? How can I?" Chat Noir chuckled to himself, looking over Paris once more, "I guess you can't really help if you don't know the situation."

"And I shouldn't know."

"Right."

"Because our secret identities."

Chat Noir nodded sadly, standing up and turning his back on Ladybug. Her voice was gentle and lovely and made him want to be at her side and hear her speak to him all day. It was as if she was begging him to love her, and he was obeying without argument. Chat sneered. Her special boy out there would soon realize how wonderful she was and return her affections, leaving Chat Noir in the dust with his broken heart.

"Thank you."

Chat tilted his head slightly towards her.

She stood up, smiling at him. "Thank you for your advice and for being here for me. I don't know what I would do without you, Chat. You're… you're one of my best friends and my partner. Whoever you are under your mask, I'm glad you're the Chat Noir I met."

Chat ground his teeth together, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. His hands balled up into fists clutching at his tight costume as he spun to face her. "Ladybug, I…"

Her head tilted to the side, patiently waiting for him to continue.

His hands loosened at his sides. How could he have done that? How could he spoil her happiness? The little smile on her face, obviously over her prince, her oblivious boy… how could Chat Noir express his feelings when she was obviously so happy at the moment? No, he wouldn't do that.

Why did she have to say something like that to him now? When he was at his weakest. When the words _I love you_ were on the tip of his tongue, dying to be spoken.

"I'm glad you're my lady," he whispered instead. His decision was to enjoy the few moments he had with her. So Chat could never tell her how he felt. Yes, it would mean more pain for him, but he'd rather live in misery than without her.

Ladybug smiled widely, taking a few steps forward to set her hand on Chat's forearm. "Partners forever, okay?"

His voice stuck in his throat as he whispered out, "Okay."

At that, her arms slid around Chat's neck, and she buried her face into his chest, holding him tightly. He stood stiffly at first, not being able to comprehend her touching him like this. She was all business, never play. Yet here she was, speaking of her feelings and secret identity and hugging him. Tightly.

Before she could tug away, he embraced her back with his hands wrapped around her waist. His nose was in her hair, sniffing her unconsciously and being warmed by presence. The warmth made him want to cry.

Adrien was never held like this.

He felt her fingers twist a lock of his hair and stay there before she began to loosen her grip around him. She pulled away with a tiny curve of her lip. Chat kept his hands lightly on her hips, not wanting her to go. Her hand set itself on his shoulder before sliding down his arm to grip his hands on the small of her back. And then, as if she had never been there, she was gone, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as she returned home.

Chat Noir watched her go, the warmth of her continuing to spread through him like a wildfire.


	10. Tempo Tempter

*A/N These aren't my characters.

* * *

Adrien woke up slowly the next morning. As his memories from the previous evening resurfaced in his mind, he felt a small smile appear across his face. Last night had been a lot to take in, and many different emotions had run through him during the course of it. But at that moment, lying lazily in his bed, Adrien felt great.

His fingers stretched out in front of his face, and he saw that they were trembling slightly. The warmth of Ladybug's embrace was still fresh on his skin. Had it all been a dream? Or was her hug real? His fingers curled down into a fist, and the smile grew larger on his face.

Plagg's eyes appeared over his knuckles. "Hey, loverboy. Better check the monitors."

Trying to hurry, Adrien jumped up out of bed and hurried to his desk. He pressed on multiple buttons until the Ladyblog appeared on the screen. As usual, Alya was first on the scene of an akuma attack.

 _This early_ , Adrien moaned internally.

"Plagg, transform me!"

* * *

Marinette was blushing as soon as her eyes opened. Her words to Chat Noir echoed in her head. What had prompted her to say those things? And why had she hugged him? She rolled back and forth on her bed a few times, squealing softly to herself in embarrassment. Her eyes shot wide open when she remembered the feeling of his hair in her fingers, and the heavy feeling of his hands just barely brushing her hips. Marinette had to stop rolling so she could try to refocus on breathing.

Her phone began to beep annoyingly at her. It was a text from Alya.

Marinette's eyes widened, "An akuma?"

"An akuma attack?" Tikki yawned, flying tiredly towards Marinette. "This early in the morning?"

Marinette quickly transformed into Ladybug and leapt from her window, hoping maybe her parents would assume she left for school early if they came to check on her.

* * *

Ladybug beat Chat Noir to the scene. She pushed the crowds back before focusing on the man in front of her, trying to recognize who the victim was. He was too old to be a student; she could tell that much. He was tall, with a violin and bow held in his grip. The villain menacingly raised the bow to point at her.

"Ladybug. At last. I've been waiting for you!"

"Sorry, I slept in," the superhero answered sassily, spinning her yoyo in a fast circle. She was unsure of what his powers could be, and how to defeat him. Despite not knowing what to expect, Ladybug crouched down, ready to spring an attack at the victim.

" _Paw_ -don me, but it looks as if this _meow_ -sician should've been the one to sleep in today, my lady."

"Oh, puns this early in the morning, kitty?" she smiled, peering behind her to see her partner sauntering up next to her with his hands behind his head nonchalantly.

Chat Noir grinned, "You know me, Ladybug. I can't resist."

Ladybug rolled her eyes jokingly before facing the villain again.

"I am Tempo Tempter," he grinned. The bow hadn't wavered from Ladybug's direction. "Be ready to meet your match, Ladybug and Chat Noir."

From his bow shot a short jet of light that dissipated in front of Ladybug. She spun her yoyo in front of her to avoid another attack, though nothing seemed to happen from the first. Just as she started to leap out of the way, Tempo Tempter started playing a slow tune on his violin. Ladybug found herself suspended in mid-leap, moving slowly in time to Tempo Tempter's song. Glancing next to her, she saw Chat Noir was unaffected. With a determined look, he pulled out his baton and started running up to the villain to try and attack him.

As soon as Chat started to run, Tempo Tempter pointed the bow at him, shooting the hero with the same light that had hit Ladybug, before beginning to play on his violin again. Ladybug felt herself begin to fall a little faster, as if the power of the Tempo Tempter was leaving her. She watched with horror as the villain now eyed her partner.

"Watch out, Chat Noir!" Ladybug tried to yell out in warning to him.

Chat raised his baton to attack.

Ladybug was freed from the spell, hitting the ground hard on her previously injured shoulder. She grunted, gripping at the shoulder and looking up to see Chat Noir moving too fast for his own good; the violin had begun a faster paced tempo tune.

"Ladybug," he called out, his voice higher-pitched due to his faster movements, "I think this akuma is _treble_."

"Music puns aren't really your _forte_ , kitty," Ladybug called back, taking her turn to attack the violinist with a heavy sigh. She and Chat took turns being affected by the powers while the other would attack as well as they could. Finally, the two retreated behind a building to hide and come up with a plan.

Chat snuck a glance around the corner before looking back at her, "This one is pretty _sharp_ , Ladybug. We really need to _guitar_ act together!"

"All these puns are falling _flat_ , Chat Noir. Can you focus?"

"You mean _compose_ myself?"

"These don't _measure_ up to your other puns, kitty. Now, really, how do we get the akuma? I'm guessing it's in the bow," Ladybug continued, grunting through her pain. She rolled her shoulder a couple times before trying to just forget about it.

Chat Noir's grin was notorious. "As beautiful as she is _clef_ -er."

After granting him a mighty glare, Ladybug was off to the rooftops, trying to avoid the villain whilst following him and thinking up a plan. She was surprised to find that the villain didn't really seem to have a purpose other than hunting Chat Noir and herself down. She laughed a bit, glad she didn't have to protect Chloe this time.

Her partner was on the rooftops in a second, running alongside her. "I wonder what would happen if there was no one around to be affected by his music," Chat said, smiling at her. "He wouldn't be so powerful then."

Ladybug stopped running and grabbed Chat Noir's arm with a large smile. His momentum pulled him back towards her so that their bodies collided, but Ladybug simply tightened her grip on him encouragingly, saying, "You're a genius!"

"That's what I've been telling you for a while now, Ladybug," Chat Noir smiled, trying to take her hand from his arm and kiss it.

She pulled herself away from him, thinking for a moment, "But how do we get him alone?"

They heard screaming below, and Ladybug realized maybe this akuma wasn't as passive as she had thought.

"We need to lead him away from the crowds." Ladybug flicked Chat Noir's bell before pulling her yoyo from her side, saying, "Think you can handle that, kitty?"

"Of course, my lady," he smiled, using his baton to pole vault off the roof. He landed on the ground on all fours, peering up at Tempo Tempter dangerously.

"Perhaps I should handle him _solo_ for a moment, Ladybug," Chat suggested as he stood up, resizing his baton for easier battle. Ladybug would never admit that she was actually impressed with his amount of music puns. Before she could respond to him, Chat Noir had zoomed into battle, baton against bow, slowly pushing Tempo Tempter away from the crowds with each strike.

Ladybug took the opportunity to shoot from roof to roof, looking for somewhere safe to finish the attack. Her eyes found the school. It was still pretty early; there wouldn't be many people there. Deciding to head there, she glanced downwards to see Chat Noir had been sped up again. So, she dropped from the roof on top of Tempo Tempter to stop his music. He threw her backwards before she could make a grab at the bow. Ladybug bit her tongue as she landed, tasting blood in her mouth, but that pain was nothing compared to the pounding in her head and the throbbing in her shoulder. This battle really needed to end soon; she was unsure of how much more she could take.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir rushed to her side and helped her up. The two of them took off running.

"We should head towards the school. It's really early, no one should be there yet," Ladybug reasoned breathily, taking a sudden turn left.

"Brilliant plan, my lady," Chat smiled. She tried to smile back through her pain, happy that he was there for her right now.

They both hurried into the school, turning to face Tempo Tempter as he appeared before them through the doors they hadn't even bothered to close.

"Now I shall have your Miraculous!" he sang out.

Chat Noir scoffed before rushing forward to start fighting once again. As soon as he was affected, Ladybug would take her turn. The villain was surprisingly strong, pushing them further and further back into the school.

Ladybug and Chat Noir decided to retreat again, running through the dark hallways until they came up to a door. Shoving it open, the two hurried inside, realizing they were in the auditorium.

"It's time to finish this," Ladybug grumbled, getting more annoyed and worn out by the second. She threw her yoyo up in the air, calling out, "Lucky Charm!" A large Chat Noir cardboard cut out fell into her arms. She fumbled with it for a moment, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I have no idea, my lady, but you cannot deny that he's very handsome."

Ladybug looked up at him with a scowl on her face. Chat Noir simply winked in response. They began to hear eerie violin music outside the door.

"Better think quick," Chat whispered, eyes widening. He took a step so that he was in between Ladybug and the door with his baton in his hand.

She smiled at him before her eyes quickly scanned over the auditorium before she got an idea. It was crazy, but it might just work. She hurried up to the stage, setting up the fake Chat in the center. Then, she rushed to the lighting controls and cast the stage in dramatic shadows. Her hand raised to her mouth to cover a small giggle at how silly Chat looked on the cardboard.

Chat Noir was by her side in a minute, "Stunning work, per usual, Ladybug."

"Shh," she hissed as they heard the doors slam open. She grabbed his arms and pulled him down into a crouch next to her backstage.

Tempo Tempter walked silently to the stage, not assuming that the Chat Noir was fake. Her eyes peeked beside her at the real Chat Noir. His mouth was tightly closed, eyes bulging as if he were about the burst into laughter. Their eyes met, and both of them had to raise hands to hold their mouths shut. Ladybug ignored the light-headedness she felt at the moment.

"You are not hiding very well, Chat Noir. And I know I can beat you easily," the villain threatened, raising his bow up to his violin. He began to play a fast tempo on his instrument. With no one there to be affected, Tempo Tempter grew confused as his own feet began to move at the speed of his song. In his time of struggle, the real Chat Noir darted out from backstage, fist bumping the cardboard version of himself before he knocked down the villain. In a slight struggle, Chat managed to steal the bow and toss it to Ladybug, who had also moved on the stage in their triumph. She caught the bow easily and snapped it in half over her knee, the black butterfly shooting out from it immediately.

* * *

Chat Noir took his time rising from the ground, watching as Ladybug began to open her yoyo to purify the akuma. She was so practiced that he had memorized her movements, when she would lift her leg and when she would throw the yoyo. Ladybug was utterly mesmerizing.

The hero was so entranced that he didn't notice when suddenly, the Tempo Tempter shot up next to him and charged towards Ladybug, barehanded but full of rage. Chat was frozen in shock. The victims never attacked after the akuma was taken from them. Was this going to be a regular thing now? After his moment of hesitation, Chat hurried to help his partner, but he felt a sick feeling in his stomach. He had waited too long.

The butterfly was distracting her, and Ladybug didn't see the villain was plowing towards her. Chat saw the whole thing as if it were in slow motion. His stomach dropped as her yoyo slipped from her hand in shock. Tempo Tempter grabbed her shoulders roughly and threw her to the ground. A gasp of pain escaped from Ladybug's lips as her hands clutched at her head.

Chat felt his inside bubble in fury. He was at Ladybug's side a moment later, pulling the villain off of his partner and shoving him a safe distance away from her. He slammed his baton into the ground across Tempo Tempter's chest to keep him in place. Turning back towards Ladybug, Chat watched as she struggled to get off the ground. She must have hit her head really hard. The hero swallowed his worry and focused on the task at hand, like he knew Ladybug would want him to.

"My lady! The akuma! It's need to be purified!"

Tempo Tempter thrashed beneath his baton. Chat held his grip tightly, refusing to take his eyes off Ladybug. If she collapsed, if anything else happened to her…

"R-right," she stammered, reaching for her yoyo. She ended up on her knees, slinging her yoyo through the air at the akuma, catching it and pulling it back to her. She freed it and then wrapped her yoyo around the cardboard cut out. Once it was in her hand, she tossed it up a couple feet, feebly saying, "Miraculous cleansing light."

Tempo Tempter stopped struggling as Ladybug's power transformed back into his normal self. Without a second thought, Chat ran to Ladybug and grabbed her, carrying her in his arms out of the auditorium. She was heavy and limp in his arms, very weak. It frightened him. Her hands lightly held on around his neck, his fingers touching the hair at his neck like she had the night before.

Chat didn't know where to go, where to take her. Her Miraculous was starting to beep. She was going to transform soon. He hugged her tightly to him, pausing for a second.

"Are you okay, Ladybug?" he whispered, touching their foreheads together.

He received a groan in response. Then, she went completely limp in his arms, unconscious.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Chat repeated over and over, darting down the stairs to the school's basement. It was the one place he knew was the least likely to have people there.

After setting her gently onto the cool ground, he rested Ladybug's head on his knee. The last spot on her earring started to blink.

"Ladybug, please, wake up."

She didn't stir.

He knew that he should leave, but Chat wanted to make sure she was okay. He didn't know what to do.

The beeping grew louder and faster, causing Chat Noir to set Ladybug's head on the ground regretfully. He couldn't stay and watch her transform. She didn't want him to know who she was, and he couldn't take her identity from her.

"I'm going to go, my lady," he murmured to her. He bent down over her body to kiss her forehead, "But I'll find you somehow to make sure you're okay. I promise." Then, he stood up.

Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. His heart clenched at the sight of her in such pain.

"Please, be okay, my lady," Chat Noir whispered.

Right before he averted his glance, the beeping stopped. Ladybug transformed in a flash of light. Closing his eyes, the hero rushed away, hurrying through the door and closing it before she or her kwami or someone caught him. His transformation lifted, but Adrien didn't even notice.

"Adrien?" Plagg's voice called out from somewhere.

His breathing grew heavy as he slid down the door in panic.

 _Marinette?_


	11. Everything Is Different

*A/N Not my characters.

* * *

Marinette's eyes opened one at a time lazily. She had forgotten where she was. Her hands itched at her back, which was stiff. Her bed felt differently, almost like a concrete floor. Her eyes widened, and Marinette sat up in shock, assuming she was late for school. Her mouth opened to yell at her mother for not waking her up, but she found herself groaning instead. A moment later, she was clutching at her head, gasping in pain. Everything hurt. Her eyes squeezed shut as she struggled to remember.

 _Oh, yeah._ She felt her body tense up, her fingers tugging at her hair. _The akuma attack._

"Marinette? Marinette?"

Her head turned to face the door.

"Oh, Marinette, good. You're down here! Adrien, you were right! She's down here! Marinette, how did you get down here?" Alya's voice called out.

There were loud footsteps on the ground, but Marinette couldn't recognize who it was due to her blurred vision.

"Al-Alya?" Marinette's voice trembled.

Then, she fainted again.

* * *

Alya's voice sounded worried, "Nice call, Adrien."

"And nice catch, bro," Nino nodded.

Adrien didn't focus on their words, instead focusing on the girl who was now fainted in his arms. Again. The only thing different was the fact that the mask was no longer on her face. He gulped hard, arms twitching a bit.

 _Ladybug_.

He could hear Alya and Nino talking to him, but the expression on Marinette's face was all he could comprehend at the moment. Lifting her up, Adrien walked to the door, "I'm taking her to the nurse."

"I'll come, too."

One of them said it. Adrien didn't know if it had been Nino or Alya. Instead, he just nodded solemnly, feeling sick to his stomach.

He had wanted to get to know Ladybug better. And he was going to maybe attempt to get to know Marinette.

But this wasn't what Adrien had asked for.

* * *

Marinette woke up in the nurse's office with ice packs covering her body. She tried to sit up, but Alya pushed her back down.

"Oh, no, girl. You are _not_ getting up yet."

Marinette obliged, keeping her back flat against the uncomfortable bed, "How did I get here?"

"It was so weird. Adrien, Nino, and I found you in the basement. You passed out as soon as we found you," Alya told her, concern dominating her attempt at a light-hearted tone. "You must've gotten caught in the akuma attack and ran down there for protection. Marinette, you're _really_ banged up."

"Ouch," she muttered when she tried to move her arm, only proving Alya's point. Tempo Tempter had thrown her to the ground hard. Marinette figured there weren't any broken bones, probably just bruised. And her head was thumping hard against her skull. Something was wrong there.

Her shoulder had been nothing compared to this.

"But, Adrien picked you up and carried you here."

Blush covered every inch of Marinette's face, "A-Adrien?"

"He seemed really anxious over the whole thing," Alya winked, though, her worried expression barely faltered.

Marinette didn't know how to respond. An ice pack started to fall into her eyes. Her friend pushed it back into place for her.

"They think you have a small concussion," Alya added, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair once the ice was back in place. "They were waiting for you to wake up before they sent you home. And you have to rest for a few days."

Marinette squealed, "But the jacket!"

"Just give me your design. I'll turn it in for you."

"It's not the same," she replied with a frown. Marinette had really wanted to see Adrien's expression if she won. Maybe he would have touched her shoulder again. Her eyes closed sadly.

Alya laughed, "I'll go get the nurse, and tell her you're awake. She was trying to contact your parents in the office when I last saw her." She stood up from her chair and started to leave the room, pausing at the door, "I was really worried for you. I'm glad you're okay." Alya spun back around to look at her.

Marinette offered her a smile, "Thank you, Alya."

Her friend grinned in return before running from the room to fetch the nurse.

The moment Alya was gone, Tikki flew out from Marinette's purse on the ground next to her. "Marinette, are you okay?"

"Tikki, what happened? Why did the akuma keep attacking?"

"Marinette, that's the least of our problems now. How are you feeling?" Tikki demanded, flying into Marinette's face.

She disagreed, "I'm fine, Tikki! But this weird attack is different and we need to figure it out," Marinette grumbled, trying to sit up by herself and failing. "I just want to… Tikki, where'd you go?"

"Marinette, the door," her kwami whispered from her bag.

She looked to the side just in time to see Adrien open the door and step into the frame, looking a bit awkward.

"A-Adrien?" Marinette muttered. Why did he have to come see her now when she was injured and disoriented? Marinette suddenly remembered Alya telling her how he had carried her here. She held in a screech.

His hand sat on his neck as his eyes darted to the right. "Are you doing okay, Marinette?"

She whispered, "Yes." Then, the girl shouted, "Oh, yes! I'm fine!"

"That's good," he muttered awkwardly, glancing at her intensely for a moment before looking away. "I… We were all worried about you." His eyes returned to her once more time before Adrien took another step into the room.

Marinette gulped, nervous. She didn't know what to say. "I… I, uh, heard you carried me here. Thank you."

"It's the least I could do."

She blushed.

"I'm going to give you a ride home, too. Is… is that okay?" Adrien asked, shuffling anxiously.

Marinette's eyes widened, "Oh, you really don't have to…"

"I'd like to, if that's okay."

Her throat made a strange squeaking noise, finally bringing Adrien's eyes to her for more than a second.

"Are you in more pain? Are you okay?" he demanded, taking a couple forceful steps towards her. He towered over her, glancing down at her with a scared and nervous expression.

Marinette offered a reassuring grin, "I'm great."

Adrien stumbled a couple steps away from her, putting his hand to his mouth and glancing away. Marinette squinted her eyes in confusion at him. He was acting so weird.

Just then, Alya returned with the nurse in tow. The nurse asked if Marinette was feeling any better. She found that her eyes kept sliding to Adrien, who was standing in the corner staring intently at the floor. Finally, Marinette was told she was going home to rest, as Alya had told her before. After she was helped to her feet, Marinette struggled to walk by herself. Alya hurried to put an arm around her friend, but Adrien beat her to it. Their eyes met for a moment before Adrien looked away and began to walk. Marinette's heart was loud, and she tried to silence it, knowing Adrien was close enough to hear.

Once they were outside, she looked over her shoulder at Alya, who offered a thumbs up and a wink before waving and reentering the school. Adrien's driver opened the door for them. Adrien helped Marinette into her seat before he hurried around to enter through the other door.

Marinette leaned into the seat with a quick groan of discomfort.

Adrien asked, "Are you okay?"

The car started for her house, bumping Marinette a bit with the sudden movement.

"You keep asking me that," she grumbled. Blushing, Marinette stammered, "I mean… I'm sorry, that came out wrong, I just… I'm fine. Thank you, Adrien."

The boy nodded at her but said nothing.

"I really am fine," she repeated, feeling like he needed to hear it. He looked so guilty when he had no reason to be. In fact, he had basically saved her by finding her in the school basement, so Marinette figured he should be feeling the opposite of guilty right now.

Adrien cleared his throat with a nod. "What happened? If I might ask."

Marinette's eyes widened. She had no clue how to answer.

"Can you remember?" he inquired. His face turned towards hers, and the look in his eyes was confusing. It was Marinette who had a hard time maintaining eye contact this time, and she quickly glanced away from the beautiful boy next to her.

"I… I think I was in the akuma attack somehow? Or… I don't know. Ow," she grasped at her head again. After the thumping subsided for a moment, Marinette removed the hands from her head, trying to smile. In reality, she was grimacing. Movement next to her caused her head to turn.

Adrien was leaning towards her, hand reached out into the space between them, inches from her cheek, as if to touch her. His fingers hesitated a moment before retreating back to sit on his knee.

His voice was quiet, "You probably have a concussion of some kind. Take it easy."

Marinette gingerly felt her forehead, fingers brushing against a lump rising on her left temple. She sucked in a quick breath

Adrien's hand shot out from his side of the car and grabbed her hand, pulling it away from her head, "Don't touch it. It'll hurt worse."

Her eyes focused on his hand grasping hers, and once Adrien noticed her stare, he removed his hand from hers and inched closer to the window on his side, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" she laughed nervously, fingers twitching from his touch.

"I'm sorry you're hurt," he muttered, biting at his thumbnail.

Marinette blushed through her bewilderment, "It's not your fault, Adrien." She wanted him to take her hand again.

He shrugged, refusing to look at her.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, and once they were at the bakery, Adrien shot out of his side of the limo so he could help Marinette again. She looked up at his open arms, allowing him to reach around her waist and gently tug her from the vehicle. Her feet slid out from under her, causing her knees to buckle with a painful grunt.

Adrien's held her tighter. "I've got you."

Her face was shoved into his chest, "Sorry." Marinette almost sniffed him, just out of curiosity, but she restrained herself.

"Let's get you inside," he murmured. His hands reached under her arms to straighten her out before he slid his arm around her waist again.

Marinette leaned heavily against Adrien as he helped her hobble into the bakery. The bell rang as the door opened, and immediately her mother was at the counter.

"Good morn… Marinette?! What happened?"

The nurse must not have been able to reach them. Marinette remembered they were getting a new order of supplies this morning. They had probably been busy with the shipment and ignored the phone calls.

"She was injured in an akuma attack, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien answered for Marinette.

Her mother appeared to be stuck between worry over Marinette and confusion as to why the boy plastered all over her walls had his arm wrapped around Marinette's waist.

"I'm fine," Marinette grunted out. Adrien helped her forward a couple steps so that her hands could grasp the counter. Though she was glad to stand up by herself, Marinette lamented the moment Adrien's hand left her waist.

She held onto the counter desperately as her mother examined her, seeing the bump on her head quickly.

"The nurse said I probably have a concussion," Marinette told her.

Her mother shouted, "Tom! Tom! Come help Marinette to her room!"

"Mama, I'm fine! I can manage…" Marinette tried to tell her.

Tom's voice shouted from somewhere in the back of the bakery, "My arms are full, Sabine! The truck can only stay so long!"

"But Tom!"

"Mama, the shipment's important! I can get upstairs by myself!" Marinette told her, starting to release her hands from the counter. Her legs began to shake.

Her mother clicked her tongue, "Here, Marinette, I'll help you."

"Mama, no, please, I can…"

"I can help her," Adrien offered. He had been standing silently by the doorway.

Marinette was starting to get light-headed from standing so long, and she had almost forgotten Adrien was there. "I'm fine," she slurred. "You need to get to school."

"Will you show me the way?" Adrien asked Marinette's mother, putting his arm around Marinette again. His eyes still wouldn't meet hers.

"Right up these stairs," her mother instructed without complaint, hurrying up first. Marinette was out of it just enough to not freak out over the fact that Adrien was heading for her room.

Adrien followed her mother a bit slower at Marinette's pace.

"I'm okay. You have to get to school," Marinette told him, feeling guilty.

He didn't answer, instead waiting for her to take the next step so they could keep moving. Rolling her eyes at him, she complained internally with each step. They made it to the ladder that led to her room.

Marinette faced him, "Thank you, Adrien. I really…"

"Here," he offered his hand out, interrupting her.

Shaking her head at him, Marinette took his hand and let him aid her up the ladder to her room, where Sabine was waiting. Adrien entered the room right after her, catching Marinette as she began to sway a bit. He led Marinette to the chaise, laying her down immediately.

"Thank you, Adrien," she whispered as her eyes started to close.

"I'll show you downstairs, Adrien. Thank you for your help. Did you eat breakfast this morning? Can I offer you something for all your trouble?" Sabine asked, ushering him away.

Marinette blushed at the thought of Adrien being in her room. She didn't have time to worry about the one picture she had re-tacked on her wall, instead deciding to curl up on the chaise and try to stop focusing on the pounding in her head. Her eyes open a little so she could get one last look at Adrien. He was practically glowing in the sunlight that was shining from her window.

"It was no trouble. I hope you feel okay, Marinette," Adrien answered, descending the ladder and leaving with her mother.

A few minutes passed. And Marinette didn't know why, but she started to cry. Her mother returned a few moments later and lounged next to Marinette, holding the girl in her arms and pressing an ice pack to her head. She didn't ask why Marinette was crying, and Marinette was glad for it, because she didn't know how she would have answered.

"Should we go to the hospital?" her mother asked.

Marinette shook her head, eyes squeezed tightly shut. "No, I'll be fine. It's just a concussion."

Her mother scoffed, " _Just_? Marinette, I think…"

"Mama, please. I'll be fine," Marinette answered. "I'm just tired and need to rest." She knew her mother would disagree, but Marinette didn't care. Nothing could move her from this spot. She wanted to sleep and forget about her pain and focus on the dream that was Adrien's arm around her waist.

Her mother kissed her forehead gently before whispering, "That Adrien really is handsome, isn't he?"

Marinette giggled slightly, " _Mama_."

"We'll see how you feel once you've rested. But it will be my decision in the end, okay?" Her mother smiled kindly, setting a blanket over Marinette before she left the room.

Marinette drifted into a light sleep, pain forgotten with the images of Adrien dancing through her mind.

* * *

Of course Adrien couldn't focus through school. Not knowing what he did now.

Ladybug was his class president.

Ladybug made him a scarf.

She sat behind him every day in class.

He was in Ladybug's room.

She was lying at home hurt right now.

He had his arm around Ladybug.

He had his arm around Marinette?

Ladybug was Marinette.

The girl he thought was his best friend happened to be the one girl he had realized her knew nothing about.

Adrien tapped his foot frantically, wishing the minutes would fly by quicker than they were, but time wasn't so kind. Nino kept tapping his elbow, trying to get his attention, but Adrien was too deep in his own thoughts to give his friend any attention.

The boy sprinted out of the school the instant he could, almost letting out a loud whoop relief when he was in his car on the way for home that evening. His legs led him to his room, where his pent up anxious energy from the entire day was let loose. Adrien paced the entire room for about an hour, mind blank, before collapsing at his desk with a long sigh. He ran his hands through his hair desperately. He should be happy. He knew who Ladybug was now. Everything would be different.

Adrien smirked sadly, "Everything is different."

His forehead slammed against the cool, smooth surface of his desk, and he stayed like that for a long time, the only thing running through his mind being Ladybug.

It wasn't until past midnight when he transformed and began to run across the rooftops of Paris that Adrien finally cried.


	12. Disappointment

*A/N I don't own these characters. Sorry about these chapters.

* * *

"So, I don't have to go to the hospital, but I have to rest at home for a couple weeks," Marinette told Alya with a huff.

Her friend frowned from her seat on the floor, "Ugh, I'm sorry, girl. That's rough. But are you feeling any better?"

Marinette shrugged, unsure. Her body still ached, but there was something else wrong; she was upset over the fact that she wouldn't be able to transform for a while. She could if she wanted to, but Tikki would never forgive her if she did. Plus, as much as she hated to admit it, it was probably for the better that she took some time off to rest. Tempo Tempter had thrown her pretty hard, and Marinette was still having a hard time moving. It infuriated her when she tried to reach for something or stand up and jolts of pain ran up and down her body, stopping her. Her powers had given Marinette a lot of strength, so she wasn't exactly used to being this weak.

"So," Alya smiled evilly. "Don't you want to know about yesterday?" After seeing Marinette's confused expression, Alya continued, "Adrien?!"

Marinette tried to play it cool, but after hearing his name, her heart started pounding like crazy against her chest. Adrien had already been running through her thoughts all day. His actions yesterday had been so unexpected, and Marinette had a hard time forgetting his arm around her holding her up. She cleared her throat in attempts to control her voice, but it still came out like a loud squeak. "Wh-what about him?"

"He looked like he had a pretty rough day yesterday."

Marinette sputtered a lot of sounds, but none of them formed actual words.

Alya gently knocked her fist against Marinette's knee playfully, "So, what are you gonna do with that information?"

"What do you mean?"

"You gonna make a move, Marinette?"

Marinette's eyes widened, "Uh…"

"Now it's obvious he has feelings for you!"

"How is it obvious?!" Marinette squealed in response, trying to hide her face in her blanket. Alya tugged it down so that she had nowhere to hide. "Don't get my hopes up if you can't even give me a reason why you think he has feelings for me."

"He was upset yesterday!"

"He could've been upset about _anything_! How is that obvious?!"

"It just is," Alya pouted, crossing her arms.

Marinette sighed, "Even if I wanted to make a move, I can't exactly do anything for a while. I'm stuck resting at home, and its not like Adrien is going to come visit me or anything!"

Alya raised her eyebrows and phone at the same time.

"Don't you dare!"

"Fine, but as soon as you get back to school, you have to do it!"

Marinette stuck out her lower lip stubbornly, "I don't have to do anything."

Alya shook her head laughing, "I should probably get going. Lunch break is almost over." Her friend stood up, tapping at her chin in thought, "But, there was something else…. Oh, yeah! I can take your design now if you want me to. I might not be able to come around tomorrow morning, so if you…"

"It's not finished!"

"Not the product," Alya gave a sympathetic frown, "just the design."

Marinette nodded, "Oh, yeah. It's on the desk."

"Feel better, Marinette," Alya smiled kindly. Then, she retrieved the design sheet from the desk and left with a wave over her shoulder.

Marinette knew she should be more upset over her unfinished jacket, but Alya's words about Adrien seeming upset over her yesterday were so distracting. She sighed dreamily. Could Adrien like her? It had seemed so impossible for so long, and now… well, he was giving her attention. It was the perfect time to make a move, if she would ever make one, but Marinette knew that her bravery always waned whenever she was around him. There was no way she would ever actually be able to ask him out. But maybe...

She felt devious for thinking it, but maybe if she kept getting Adrien's attention, he would end up asking her out first.

Smiling to herself contently, Marinette pulled her tablet onto her lap and started working on the homework Alya brought her for the past two days.

* * *

"Adrien! Adrien! Adrien!"

Adrien stopped a few feet away from his limo and spun to face Nino with an apologetic grin. He was in trouble. "Hey, Nino."

His friend was not amused with the smile, opting to cross his arms and glare at Adrien instead of reciprocating the grin. "What the heck, bro? What is going on with you? You've been ignoring me the past two days!"

"No, I haven't."

Nino raised an eyebrow.

Adrien sighed, adjusting his grip on his bag's straps with discomfort. There was no easy way to explain to Nino how conflicted he was at the moment. Nothing that was happening was about Nino or changed their friendship, but Adrien knew that answer wouldn't satisfy his curious friend.

He couldn't exactly say that his world had been completely shaken apart by a simple two second glance at Marinette's face. His found himself staring off at nothing while imagining her. His lady. The thought was still hard to swallow, and Adrien was having a hard time coming to terms with this newfound information.

Nino could never know any of this; Adrien knew that.

"It's not about you, Nino. It's about…"

"Marinette, I get it. But that's not reason to ignore me," Nino crossed her arms, glaring at Adrien.

"How… How did you know it was about Marinette?" Adrien asked, immensely surprised by his friend's observation. He internally slapped himself for letting it slip that Marinette was giving him grief, but maybe letting Nino know at least _that_ would appease him.

It didn't. Nino jutted out his jaw and pointed accusingly at his friend, "I'm angry with you."

"I can tell," Adrien responded, running his hands through his hair. "I'm really sorry, Nino. It's just… I have a lot of stuff going on right now, and I needed time alone to think about it."

"Look, I respect that you need _alone time_ , but I don't respect that you never talk to me about anything personal like this."

Adrien looked at Nino strangely.

"Don't you trust me, Adrien?"

"Of course I do, Nino. You're my bes…"

"Ever think that maybe I could help you with whatever is going on?"

Adrien looked away. _Of course I've thought that, Nino. It's just not possible._

"Hey, Adrien. Please, we're best friends. Just tell me what's going on," Nino pleaded, voice softening.

Adrien needed to come up with a lie, and fast. He didn't want to lose Nino's friendship, but he couldn't tell him anything about what was going on due to his identity at stake. His eyes squeezed shut tightly, his head pounding angrily. No matter what he did, something would end up wrong. How could he possibly win in this situation? Talk about bad luck.

"Seriously, man? You aren't gonna tell me?" Nino interjected, starting to sound angry again.

Adrien paused for a long time before going for the fail-safe answer that was always believable. As much as he hated to lie to Nino, he muttered out, "It's my father. I got in trouble a few nights ago, and I just haven't been feeling too great since."

"I'm… I'm sorry, Adrien," Nino stuttered. "So, then… what's up with Marinette?"

 _Shoot,_ Adrien thought, forgetting he had already admitted to Marinette being on his mind.

"You can tell me," Nino said.

"It made me feel powerless," Adrien almost shouted. "First letting my dad walk all over me, and then watching a classmate hurt without being able to help her… I just feel like I can't do anything right sometimes. I felt like I should be able to do more." Adrien surprised himself with the truth of the statements.

Watching Ladybug get hurt before was painful, but knowing the masked hero who protected him sat behind him in class was even worse. Now it wasn't Ladybug who had been thrown to the ground; it was Marinette.

Would he ever be able to let Marinette out of his sight now? He wasn't sure if his feelings were the same as before or not, but that didn't mean that his instincts would be any different. She was still the Ladybug he had always fought with, and some part of him was completely dedicated to her. The thought was terrifying to him, and Adrien knew that knowing who Ladybug truly was only made all this superhero business more dangerous. No wonder she had wanted things kept secret. Why did he always mess things up?

Nino set his hand on Adrien's shoulder. "You're a great guy, Adrien."

"Thanks, Nino."

"Don't let anyone make you feel inferior, okay? Because you're not."

"Thanks, Nino."

"Do you believe me?"

 _No_.

"Yes," Adrien said aloud.

"I'm here for you," Nino told him. "Okay?"

"Thanks, Nino. I do appreciate it, really." Then, Adrien offered a fake smile, one he had mastered. They waved their goodbyes, and Adrien climbed into his limo to head home.

Plagg flew out of his bag the moment they were in the safety of Adrien's room.

The boy sighed, "I don't wanna hear it, Plagg."

"I just wanted more cheese."

"Liar," Adrien accused. "You want to talk about Ladybug."

"And cheese," Plagg answered, barely looking guilty.

"Well, I don't want to talk about Ladybug."

"You mean, Marinette."

Adrien shook his head furiously, "Right, right… Marinette… She's Marinette…" A thought he remembered all too well.

"Adrien, are you okay? It doesn't seem…"

"I'll get you some cheese," Adrien told Plagg, rushing from the room.

How could he tell Plagg what he was feeling when Adrien himself didn't know? He loved Ladybug, so… did he love Marinette? He liked her; it wasn't as if they were enemies. In fact, he was just thinking maybe they could be good friends. But he had never thought of her _that_ way before. The way he thought about Ladybug. But… could he? All of it was too confusing for him to think about.

Throwing the cheese at his kwami, he settled at his desk and struggled through a couple hours of homework before walking to the window. It was still early enough that people would be up, but it was dark enough that he could sneak around pretty easily.

"Again?" Plagg whined.

"Please," Adrien whispered, practically begging his kwami.

He transformed and scurried across the rooftops, trying to feel the freedom he felt before when he would run through the night. But everything had changed. He wasn't just Chat Noir now. He was Adrien, too. He couldn't separate them. The mystery of Ladybug made Chat Noir a mystery, as well, but now he felt revealed and exposed. He was Adrien with a mask on. A fake.

Was it disappointment? The feeling that was devouring him?

Chat Noir couldn't tell, but he disliked it.

And he missed Ladybug.

It was as if she had disappeared. Now whenever he imagined her, he could only see Marinette. She was wearing the same Ladybug outfit, but the mask was gone. Everything she ever did or said, he couldn't see the old Ladybug. It was all Marinette. It was confusing and infuriating, and Adrien felt like tearing his hair out, shouting, crying, and collapsing all at the same time.

He knew he should be happy. He knew he should. Marinette was a kind girl. And she was cute. And she was Ladybug, so why was he feeling like this? So confused and turned around?

 _Where am I?_ he asked himself suddenly, pausing in his blind leaping.

His stomach tightened as he saw her staring back at him.

* * *

Marinette braved a few stretches on the chaise, grimacing a bit from the discomfort still highly evident in her bones and muscles. She tilted her head to the side to stare out the window, surprised to see a pair of eyes looking back at her.

The girl jerked up in surprise, clutching at her head immediately.

"Bad decision," she spoke aloud, eyes closed as she waited for the pain to subside.

Looking back out of the glass, Marinette saw that Chat Noir was still crouched on the roof opposite her room.

She wondered if he was going to come in again. He knew the way after all. Did she want him to come in? Why was he here again? He couldn't possibly know that she had gotten injured… again.

Her eyes shot open. Did he know she was Ladybug? He… he couldn't, right?

She gulped, trying to hide her nerves. Her hand started to rise to wave at him. But before she could, Chat Noir shook his head and hurried away, so fast she almost thought someone was chasing him.

He had come and gone so quickly, Marinette almost wondered if she had just made up the whole encounter. It was entirely too possible, considering how badly her head was hurt and how exhausted she was. Part of her felt slightly disappointed for some reason, but she quickly brushed off the feeling. With a shrug, Marinette slid back a bit farther on the chaise, exhaling deeply before she started her homework again. If she finished it quickly, she might have the chance to work on her jacket that night and get it to Alya by the competition tomorrow.


	13. Don't Get Involved

*A/N I don't own these characters.

* * *

"Marinette?"

The girl rolled over onto her stomach, moaning tiredly.

"Marinette, wake up. I have to leave soon."

She lazily opened her eyes, staring at Alya, disoriented. Trying to sit up, Marinette began to squeak in pain. She kept forgetting how sore she was and how much her head hurt. Her hands reached up for her temples, trying to mute the pounding that had begun.

"Hey, be careful! You're still hurt, Marinette," Alya stated with a short laugh, pushing Marinette back down. "I just came by to see how you were doing on my way to school."

"School?"

Alya nodded.

Marinette tugged at her hair, "No, no, no, no!"

Her friend looked at her with confusion.

"I fell asleep! The jacket!"

"Don't worry. I have the design," Alya grinned, patting the bag at her hip.

"No, I was going to _finish_ the jacket for you last night! But I fell asleep," Marinette whined, pulling her blanket over her head. "Ahh, Alya, why did I fall asleep?!"

"Marinette," Alya hushed her, "geez, girl. You can't stand up, let alone walk over to your sewing table. Just calm down. The design is enough. Andit's awesome! You'll win for sure."

"No, Alya, I really wanted to give him the jacket," Marinette whimpered under the blanket.

Alya sighed before saying, "Okay. Then, I'll bring him here after school to try it on."

"Don't say that!" Marinette shouted, whipping the blanket off over her head. Adrien couldn't come here. That was out of the question. But part of her wondered if he would say yes if Alya asked him to. She shook her head angrily; no it was _out of the question_!

"What? You want me to? I could! I could convince Nino to tell Ad…"

"No, no, no, no, no!"

Alya laughed heartily, "Glad to see you're feeling better. I should get going. I'll text you as soon as the results are in about the jacket, though, I'm sure we both know you already won." She winked and started to exit the room.

"Alya," Marinette mumbled, hating herself for even thinking about what she was asking.

"What?"

She breathed out, "Do you think Adrien would come over if you asked?"

Alya raised an eyebrow.

Then, Marinette squealed. "No! Don't ask him! Don't ask him!"

Her friend laughed and let herself out of the room. Marinette stared at the ceiling, wishing desperately that she could have seen the look on Adrien's face over her design. He had been so supportive of her bowler hat. She shook her head embarrassedly over the image of him smiling at her, telling her she did a good job. Oh, Adrien made her heart soar. Marinette hoped someday she would make his do the same thing.

* * *

The end of the school day brought about the jacket contest. It didn't shock anyone that Marinette won. Her design was professional, yet edgy and fresh. Adrien's father had loved it, or how much he saw of it from his video call on Nathalie's tablet. He hadn't shown up. Again. After saying goodbye to the video of his father, Adrien walked up to Alya and Nino who were still hovering by Marinette's winning design.

Adrien was a bit confused. Attempting to sound neutral, he casually asked, "I thought she was making the product?"

"Because of her injuries, she wasn't able to finish," Alya shrugged at him, crossing her arms.

"Couldn't finish?" Adrien asked, eyebrows furrowing angrily. He cleared his face of emotion quickly, not wanting them to ask him what was wrong.

"You know, you could probably wear this jacket with the bowler hat. It'd look super cool." Nino winked. "Achoo."

Adrien offered a grin before his face fell. It was his entire fault that Marinette didn't get to finish the jacket. She was injured because Chat Noir wasn't there for protect her. Ladybug was always there for him.

He couldn't think about Marinette without feeling guilty now. How could he ever make it up to her now? Being around him caused her nothing but trouble. Bad luck. It would be better if he and Marinette just never interacted. Maybe then she wouldn't keep getting hurt because of him. Adrien wanted to promise himself that from now on, he'd just let Marinette be. It would be impossible, considering she was Ladybug and he was Chat Noir. But maybe it would be better if when they were simply Adrien and Marinette he just left her alone, for her own good. Adrien was saddened by this resolve, though, for reasons he couldn't quite specify yet.

It was hard to believe that he wouldn't be seeing Marinette for a few weeks now, but that just gave him more time to sort out whatever it was he was feeling. Deep in his heart, Adrien knew he wouldn't be able to forget about Ladybug, or Marinette. But he also knew that for Marinette's benefit, not having to deal with him would just make her a whole lot happier.

* * *

Marinette never thought she'd be relieved to be back at school, but after two weeks alone at home with nothing much to do, even enduring Chloe's rude comments had started to seem appealing.

Not to mention, she would finally get to see Adrien again.

She said goodbye to her parents and basically skipped to school. Her body was still bruised, but that didn't stop Marinette. Alya was waiting for her at the top of the steps. Marinette took them two at a time and gave her friend a big hug.

"You seem entirely too happy for someone coming back to school."

"Good morning, Alya!"

Alya laughed, "Welcome back, girl."

They turned to enter the school, Marinette talking a mile a minute to Alya. There was nothing even really to tell Alya, since she had visited quite often, but Marinette still talked a lot and speedily, missing her time at school immensely. Marinette was so into the conversation that she didn't notice when she ran into someone. The girl bounced off the person she had collided with and felt a pair of hands grip her forearms to steady her.

She gasped in embarrassment, "Oh, I'm sorry, I just…"

"Good to see you on your feet, Marinette."

Marinette swooned, inhaling sharply. "Adrien."

"Morning, Adrien," Alya said suggestively, looking back and forth from him and Marinette.

He never even looked at Alya, instead, his eyes searched Marinette's face as if he were looking for something important. Marinette gazed back just as intensely, trying to hide her confusion.

"Are you feeling… better?" he choked out, standing up a bit straighter. His hands left her arms, one in his pocket and the other resting on the back of his neck.

"Yes. Yes!" she breathed, nodding vigorously. "Much better, th-thank you!"

"I'm glad." Then, he finally offered her a smile, a large bright smile. It was completely different from the boy's usual reserved smile. It reminded her of someone, but she couldn't think of who exactly she was thinking of.

 _He's so beautiful._

"We're all glad she's back," Alya laughed awkwardly, elbowing Marinette in the side.

Marinette swayed a bit in happiness, unsure what was exactly happening and why. She had fallen silent, awed by Adrien's… well, everything. Alya gently pushed Marinette's mouth closed, as it had fallen open slightly.

His smile had faded a bit as they stared at each other, now he was looking almost pained. "See you in class," he muttered, starting off distractedly.

Marinette held up a hand, sighing out sweetly, "Bye."

Adrien offered her one last small grin as he strode away.

The back of Alya's hand whacked against Marinette's shoulder. Marinette rolled her head to her shoulder to look at Alya dreamily. Without saying a word, she floated off to class with a laughing Alya guiding her with a light grip on her shoulder.

Once there, Marinette couldn't sit still. Adrien was right in front of her. Oh, Adrien. She crossed her arms in front of her on the desk and allowed her chin to fall into them as she gazed at the back of his head.

"Sweet," Nino smiled, fist pumping the air.

Marinette jumped up from the sudden gesture. After a moment, Marinette leaned back in her chair and continued gazing at Adrien.

"Let me see," Alya demanded, pulling Nino's shoulder back to her. Her eyes widened, "Wow! A perfect score!"

Nino held up the sheet to Adrien, who nodded his response before he went back to furiously taking down notes.

Alya nodded in Marinette's direction and explained, "The group project."

Marinette smiled, flitting her eyes to Alya. "Glad we did well!"

"Thanks for helping from home," her friend said.

"No problem," she chirped.

Nino spun around, "Yeah, honestly, I probably wouldn't have helped."

Alya smacked his shoulder. He laughed in response.

"It was no problem," Marinette smiled graciously, looking at her hands clasped in front of her. She looked up just in time to see Adrien's eyes focused on her. He spun around quickly, as if he hadn't been staring at her.

Marinette peered sideways at Alya with a grin before she focused on her work, a dark blush on her cheeks. She only allowed herself to be distracted by Adrien a couple times, each time more thrilling than the next. His hair was wonderful today.

She smiled all the way home for lunch.

* * *

"Sheesh. Some promise you made yourself," Plagg said to Adrien as soon as they were home. "Oh, I'm Adrien, and I'm going to not talk to Marinette. It's for her own good if I just leave her alone."

"Plagg…"

"Oh, here I go, talking to Marinette despite everything I promised myself!"

Adrien shook his head, "That was weeks ago. I… It…"

"Now, did it really seem like that hurt her that badly? I think you're overreacting with this _leave Marinette alone_ thing," the kwami grumbled, snuggling into the scarf that was lying on Adrien's desk.

"It feels wrong, Plagg," Adrien answered. He rubbed at the back of his head as he started out of his room to go eat lunch downstairs. Stopping at the door, Adrien turned back to Plagg and admitted, "I feel like I'm cheating somehow."

* * *

Adrien sat at his desk at school and put his head down, making sure he wouldn't look at Marinette when she walked in. He was slowly starting to understand what he was feeling, kind of, but until he was completely sure, he didn't want to hurt her anymore. A few more days were all he needed to sort this out.

But even then, how would he be able to face Ladybug again? After everything going on in his head and heart, seeing her would undo all of his carefully thought out decisions.

Exhaling loudly, he lifted his head up and stuck his pencil between his teeth. Marinette walked into the room, and their eyes met. Adrien felt his heart jolt inside him when she started to offer him a bright smile, but he found himself looking away again.

 _Don't get involved._

Marinette sat down.

Nino shot him a strange look but shrugged it off for the moment. Adrien knew Nino wanted to talk to him again, so he stayed behind in class so that he could walk outside with his friend.

"Something is still up?" Nino wondered warily.

Adrien knew he had to answer just right. Nino was still a little bit sore after that moment weeks ago when they had had a small fight. Stalling for time to answer, Adrien gave a short, sad laugh and scratched at his neck. He looked over at Nino, feeling desperate for help.

"Marinette?" Nino guessed.

"I just feel like I'm hurting her," Adrien admitted, tugging his bag strap up higher on his shoulder.

Nino grabbed his shoulder, stopping them around the middle of the steps. So they weren't in the way, he pulled Adrien over to the railing so they could talk.

Adrien suddenly felt scared for where this conversation would go. He had never really spoken about girls with Nino before, aside from all the teasing about Alya.

Nino demanded, "Why?"

"I just… I don't know. I just feel guilty," Adrien told him, taken aback by his firm tone. "I don't really know how to act around her right now."

"Do you _like_ her?" Nino asked, crossing his arms.

"Of course I like her. She's a good friend," he answered easily.

"A friend?"

Sweat broke out on Adrien's forehead. He tried to settle his stomach, but he was afraid. "Yes, what else would she be?"

Nino shrugged, "I kinda thought you might've had a crush on her."

Adrien's heart stopped. This was the whole problem. He _had_ a crush on her, on Ladybug. But Marinette? He didn't know her as well as he knew his masked beauty. And because of that, whenever he was around Marinette, he felt like he was cheating. Adrien loved Ladybug, but he didn't know if he loved Marinette.

Not that he didn't think he could. Marinette was beautiful and talented and extremely compassionate. But… it was too weird right now. This is why he was trying to stay away from her, or so he told himself. He told himself it was for her, but all the time, his stomach was telling him differently. He was steadily drawn to her, wanting to watch her every move. She was Ladybug. His heart sped up thinking about her.

"Sorry, if I went too far," Nino apologized, breaking Adrien from his thoughts.

"No, no. You're fine… It's just I… I'm just very confused right now, Nino. Over a lot of different things. And I'd rather just keep them to myself," he gulped, looking anxiously at his friend.

Nino didn't look happy, but he nodded, "Okay. No problem. At least, for now."

Adrien tried a smile.

"Hey, so," Nino cleared his throat, as if he was trying not to make a big deal about what he was about to say. "I think I might have a date with Alya, by the way."

"Nino, that's great!" Adrien gushed, punching his friend lightly on the shoulder.

"I had been hoping we could make it, like, a couple thing? Maybe you and Marinette? But now, well, if you don't think…"

Adrien shuffled uncomfortably. His classic reserved smile returned to his face. "Maybe some other time. Plus, you wouldn't want me there stopping any alone time you'd get with Alya, right?"

"Yeah," Nino laughed a bit awkwardly, "you're right. But also, don't ever say it like that again."

They both laughed, and then neither said anything for a moment. Adrien hated this feeling, like he couldn't even talk to Nino anymore because of Ladybug.

Not only was Adrien becoming a part of Chat Noir, but now Chat Noir was infiltrating his personal life. And no matter how awful his personal life had been, he hated this more. He wished he could go back to when things were simple.

"I hope you figure stuff out, bro," Nino muttered, patting Adrien's shoulder before he rushed down the stairs and off for home. Adrien finished his descent down the steps where he made eye contact with Marinette, who was standing with Alya a little ways away. Alya raised her hand to wave at him, but Marinette looked away, pouting and saying something to Alya that Adrien couldn't hear. He felt his heart thump, but instead of waving or smiling, he slid into his car quickly, unable to get Marinette's face from his mind.


	14. Model Behavior

*A/N These crazy kids are not mine. Happy Valentine's Day!

* * *

Alya let out a long breath. "Marinette. It has been a _week_. And you haven't made a move like you promised you would."

"First off, I never promised! Secondly, I have _waved_ , like, multiple times," Marinette defended herself as they walked into the school. "Thirdly, how was your date with Nino?"

"Thirdly doesn't matter," Alya argued, looking away with a small grin on her face.

"I think it matters," Marinette teased, elbowing Alya a couple times.

"We were talking about you!" Alya exclaimed. "C'mon. You two keep making eye contact and smiling all lovey-dovey at each other. I'm pretty sure everyone is just waiting for you two to get together. So why not just do it already?"

"Do what?"

Her friend groaned in irritation, "Ask him out."

Marinette opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Alya leaning close to her.

"Now's your chance," her friend whispered, turning Marinette around roughly.

Adrien was standing there, towering over her with an exhausted look on his face. Though, he seemed to brighten a little when he saw her. Marinette felt her back straighten up as she subconsciously took a step towards him. His hand rested on his neck as he took a step in her direction.

"Hi, Adrien," she murmured.

"Marinette," he replied with a small smile.

She didn't know how to respond, so she just stood there looking at him as he stared down at her. It was probably awkward, but all Marinette could feel at the moment was the annoyingly loud pounding of her heart.

Adrien gulped, mouth opening as if he was going to say something.

Marinette's lip twitched up, threatening to break into an inappropriately large smile.

"How are you doing, Adrien?" Alya asked to break the silence, sliding up next to Marinette to shove her a couple times.

Adrien looked Alya's way, as if noticing her there for the first time, saying, "G-great, Alya. Thank you."

"Thank you," Marinette sighed out, smiling like a dork.

"Huh?" Adrien asked, glance switching back to Marinette. He suddenly shook his head. After a moment, he looked up at Marinette with a small smile, "I'll… I'll see you in class."

Marinette watched him go, hands clutching at her heart.

"That was the most uncomfortable exchange I have ever witnesses," Alya's voice drifted from near Marinette, who wasn't really listening to her friend at all.

When she didn't respond, Alya snapped in front of her face, giving her a pointed look before they followed Adrien to class.

* * *

"Plagg, this is harder than I thought it would be. For some reason, it seems like Marinette actually wants to be around me," Adrien complained, pushing his homework aside. He figured it wouldn't get done tonight; Marinette was too prominent in his thoughts.

"You seem to want to be around her, too, Adrien," Plagg grumbled, seeming tired of the whole debate Adrien had been having for the past few weeks.

"Look, I… _she_ keeps running into _me_! That's not my fault," Adrien reasoned, crossing his arms.

Plagg scoffed, "Oh, hanging out in the courtyard waiting for her to run into you is all her doing. Right. Sure."

"Plagg, help me out here."

"With what?" the kwami replied. "Just… talk to her about it or something. I don't know."

"Talk to her about her?" Adrien asked skeptically. He pushed against his desk and sent himself flying into the room on his chair. Sliding down in the chair, he let out a long sigh, something he found himself doing too much recently.

"What are even concerned about right now?" Plagg demanded, shoving his cheese aside with a huff. "I don't see a problem."

Adrien slid off his chair so he was lying on the floor. His eyes shot over his head to see Plagg hovering over him. "Plagg, there is a huge problem."

The kwami huffed, rolling his eyes at Adrien. He flew across the room to rest on Adrien's bed.

"If Marinette… and I… ever…" Adrien let out a shaky breath, "It wouldn't feel right because I… I would feel like I only liked her because of, well, Ladybug."

"So?"

"So?" Adrien shot up from the ground, holding in a frustrated yell. "That's so unfair to her. All I do is keep hurting her somehow! If she likes me… if she…" The thought made Adrien tremble a bit. "If for some reason she liked me or even just wanted to be my friend, how would she feel if after we became friends she found out I had only gotten closer to her because she was Ladybug?"

"I…"

"Not only that," Adrien interrupted, "but Ladybug doesn't even like Chat Noir that much, so how can I expect her to want to be around me once she finds out who I really am?! Do I even know that she wants to date me as Adrien?"

The words sounded strange in his mouth. He loved Ladybug, but the reality of dating her had never seemed as plausible as it had these past weeks. But at the same time, it felt so impossible.

Did Adrien want to… date Marinette?

He was so unsure. Of everything. At this moment, Adrien wasn't sure there was one thing he was certain of. It physically hurt him how confused he was over everything.

How could Plagg not see his dilemma?

Plagg smirked to himself, singing lightly, "You like her."

"Not… not like that," Adrien sputtered out, pouting slightly. Unsure of what to do or say next, the boy shouted, "Plagg, transform me!"

* * *

Marinette held up the jacket, almost finished. "What do you think, Tikki?"

"It looks great, but Marinette…"

"It would really help to have a model right now, for fitting, but you really thinks that it look okay?"

The kwami exclaimed, "Marinette, you already won the contest! No need to…"

"I have a need to, Tikki. I am making it myself for him to wear, and it needs to be perfect," Marinette interrupted, turning the jacket in her hands. Anyone could make the design; it wasn't complicated. But Marinette wanted it to be made with her own hands. She wanted to see Adrien wearing something she had worked on, and she wanted to feel how she felt whenever she saw him wearing her blue scarf. "I just wish…"

There was a knock at her door. Marinette walked over to her door and opened it, but there was no one there. With a furrow of her brows, the girl walked back to her sewing desk to hold up the jacket again. She groaned. A model would be _really_ helpful right now; mannequins only help so much.

Another loud knock sounded. With a jump, Marinette realized it was coming from the door leading to her rooftop terrace. She glanced at Tikki before she hurried up the ladder to the terrace door and threw it open.

Chat Noir's smile was wide and a bit tense, "Good evening, princess."

Her eyes widened, "I should have guessed it would be you."

The hero seemed to puff up with confidence from her statement, though Marinette noticed a slight tremor in his hand before he set it on his hip. Maybe he had seen her gaze and wanted to hide his, what, nervousness? She almost laughed. What could he be nervous about?

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking up at him curiously.

"Well, it has been too long since our last rendezvous, so I figured I would come check up on you," he answered smoothly, crouching so he could peer down at her from the terrace.

Marinette clasped her hands in front of her nervously. Chat Noir's breath hit against her nose; he was very close to her. She took a shaky breath and looked back up at him, "Well, I'm fine."

"Your shoulder?"

"It's… great," she responded slowly, surprised he had remembered that. "Actually, it was more my…"

"I heard you got quite a bump on your head."

Marinette's eyes shot up to his in surprise.

"Is that okay?"

"That was weeks ago," she answered, remembering seeing him outside her window that one night. Had he been checking up on her that whole time? She shook the thought from her head. That night was just a trick of her eyes. It wouldn't make any sense for Chat Noir to have been there.

"I've been… a bit busy. I wanted to come see you, but… I had things going on," Chat replied, scratching at the back of his neck. "Sorry, princess. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"Wh-what?"

The hero stared at her intently. His green eyes were outrageously bright and sincere.

After glancing back down at her sewing table, Marinette let her eyes skim over his body, and she smiled deviously. "Actually, this is perfect timing. You look like you're about the same size as him. Would you come in for a minute?" she asked.

Chat Noir hesitated, "Same size as who?"

She rolled her eyes, "Just come here. You owe me." Turning around, she led him back down into her room, not checking if he was following. She knew he would be. After she was back on the main floor, Marinette picked up her jacket and turned to look at the hero.

"What is it that a hero of Paris can do for you, Marinette?" Chat wondered, standing proudly in the middle of her room.

Marinette held up her jacket with a little shake, "Remember this?"

He opened his mouth to answer.

"Good," she interrupted, walking back towards him. "I need you to put it on for me."

"Model?" he asked, with a curl of the lip.

"Just help me out, Chat," Marinette sighed, holding the jacket out to him. "You said you would."

With a sly smile, he took the jacket and slid it on over his spandex suit. He struck a pose, "What do you think, My…arinette?"

She ignored his weird stammer and thought for a moment. Wiggling her finger at him, Marinette ordered, "Spin."

He did, but not without striking another pose.

Marinette giggled before starting, "It's…"

"It's perfect," Chat Noir answered, smiling genuinely over his shoulder.

Her heart thudded a bit at his smile before she examined the jacket again. "Keep it on for just one more second. I need to fix this hem right here," Marinette muttered, grabbing a pin from her table and walking over to him. While working on pinning it the right length, she smiled, "Thank you."

"Anytime," he answered softly.

Marinette found herself smiling. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that Chat Noir wasn't a masked hero. He was just a regular boy, something she forgot quite a lot. Even when she was Ladybug, she would sometimes forget that Chat had homework like she did or that he ate dinners with his family like she did.

"All set?" his voice called, making Marinette's eyes shoot open and bringing her back to reality.

"We're all set," Marinette smiled, sliding the jacket off of Chat Noir, oddly careful not to touch him. She gingerly set it back down on the table. "It'll be ready in no time." Spinning around to face the hero again, the girl gazed at Chat Noir, incredibly grateful for his appearance that night.

Chat Noir cleared his throat, "I heard that you, uh, won the design."

"Yes, I did," she blushed.

"Congrats," he shrugged, mouth curling up on the end into a reserved smile.

"Thank you," she grinned in response, walking towards him. She crossed her arms, "I'm just glad that my designs are getting out there."

"You really want to be a designer one day?"

Marinette nodded vigorously, "Yes, very much."

Chat Noir sighed, leaning against her chaise and peering out the window. Then, his glance shot down, and he bit his lip.

"Don't you know what you want to do?" Marinette muttered, taking a step towards him. She felt her eyebrows wrinkle.

"I have no idea," he exhaled sadly.

Marinette felt a little sad at that. He had helped her tonight, and now it was her turn. "Well, you know… you have the makings of a model!"

Chat Noir looked at her with an amused expression, "Really?" He laughed loudly.

Marinette was surprised by his laughter but found herself giggling, too.

"Why do you say that, princess?" He ran a hand through his hair and winked at her. "Do you find me devastatingly handsome?"

Marinette blushed, not realizing the words had come out of her mouth, "Oh, no, I just meant because of... you just helped me with the jacket just now… Oh, dear."

"What? Cat got your tongue?" he smirked, moving closer to her.

"No, but I know that no matter what I say you'll just assume I meant to call you handsome, so why even fight it?" Marinette chuckled. One of her hands rubbed at her arm, and she looked up at him with a large smile on her face. He was such a silly kitty.

"Oh, so you do think I'm handsome?"

"See!" She shook her head at him, "Exactly as I predicted."

He beamed at her before gesturing to himself and striking another ridiculous pose, as if for no other purpose than to make her laugh. And she did. While laughing, she swatted at his arms, trying to stop the absurd poses. They both ended up laughing hard with Marinette holding his hands down at his sides to stop the madness.

Then, Marinette suddenly glared at the ground. What was she doing? Was she flirting with him? And after all she had done to get Adrien's attention.

Chat Noir's expression dropped. He took a step back, letting her hands fall off of him. "Is something wrong?"

"No! No! I just was thinking," Marinette tried to sound natural, "that I should really finish this jacket now."

"Oh, of course," Chat nodded, though he didn't move any further away.

Feeling his gaze on her, Marinette looked up at him, feeling her cheeks flushing, "Thank you again, Chat."

"I meant what I said. Anytime," he told her in a low tone.

Before she could respond, he had leapt up her ladder and was gone. Marinette collapsed in her desk chair, feeling guilty. But… why should she be? It wasn't as she was dating Adrien? Plus! Plus, maybe it wasn't even real flirting! She and Chat Noir were just good friends messing around! All she had done was grabbed his arms and laughed a bit. Good friends did that all the time!

Her stomach twitched.

Then, Marinette shook her head. They weren't even good friends, were they? They had met how many times? Three? Maybe four?

The guilty feeling she felt was confusing, and the confusion started to upset her, so Marinette decided to try and forget that Chat Noir had even been there. Though, every time she looked at the jacket now, she imagined it against his sleek, black suit, and felt her fingers tremble in anxiousness.

She tried to focus on tomorrow instead.

When she would finally make her move with Adrien.


	15. Mistake

*A/N I don't own these stressful people.

* * *

Marinette suddenly felt very sick, but it was a good kind of sick. Alya had been right; it was time for her to finally make her move and ask Adrien out. After everything that at least _seemed_ to be happening between them lately, she felt like he could only say yes.

She wasn't imagining what would happen if he said no.

The thought made her gag a little bit.

So, she tried to instead focus on what it would feel like if he said yes.

Alya patted her shoulder, smiling. She said, "I'm proud of you, Marinette. When are you going to do it?"

"Maybe… after school?" Marinette whispered.

This seemed like a good idea, but she also wasn't sure she really wanted to wait. But if she did it now and got turned down, she would have to sit through class awkwardly, and she knew she would not be able to handle it. And if for some reason she started to cry…

 _But he won't say no, will he?_ Marinette thought herself, taking deep breaths.

"Do you want me there?"

"No!" Marinette shouted suddenly. She composed herself, "I mean, I feel like I'd be better without you there making me more nervous. I mean…" She exhaled, "You know what I mean."

Alya nodded, "Okay, girl. Whatever you want."

* * *

Adrien was the king of poor decisions. The only problem was Plagg was really the only person, or kwami, that he could talk to, and Plagg offered horrible advice, especially after Adrien's small meltdown he had after his visit to Marinette's the night before.

 _Forget her. Choose cheese._

 _I don't care._

 _Please, stop talking. I honestly don't care._

 _If you aren't talking about cheese, then I really don't want to talk._

Much to his disappointment, Adrien was just waiting for Nino to end their friendship. But Adrien couldn't exactly tell him what was happening, as much as he would have preferred Nino to Plagg. Even though Nino noticed how out of it he had been, his friend hadn't spoken to Adrien about it. Adrien wasn't sure if he wanted Nino to keep pushing him or not.

Maybe if Nino pushed him hard enough, he would burst and tell him everything. Considering how helpful Plagg had been, Adrien almost wondered if that was a good idea.

But how could he think that? Revealing his secret identity was never a good idea.

He was going crazy.

 _This is all Marinette's fault_ , Adrien thought to himself. He almost smiled.

"So, are you and Alya going out again soon?" Adrien asked as he and Nino left school.

"She said she wanted to meet after school today, but I don't know what we're doing, where we're going," Nino shrugged, trying to hide a smile on his face. "She's very demanding sometimes."

Adrien gave a short laugh and kept walking.

Nino faced him, breathing deeply, before he started, "Would you…"

"Nino!" Alya called across from them loudly.

Looking her way, Adrien waved a bit before biting his lip and glancing back at Nino, "Demanding? I don't see that in Alya at all."

Nino rolled his eyes before he gave an apologetic smile to Adrien, "I should go. She gets angry when I don't answer right away."

Adrien raised an eyebrow and chuckled again.

"See you tomorrow," Nino grinned, knocking his fist against Adrien's shoulder.

"Yeah, see ya." Adrien waved at Nino as he saw him rush up to Alya. She shoved him lightly before his head leaned back and a let out a laugh. As they walked away together, Nino grabbed her hand.

It made Adrien sigh in longing. The two looked very natural together. They reminded him of how he and Ladybug used to be. He hadn't seen Ladybug in so long, nor was he sure he wanted to. At least, not yet. Adrien wasn't sure he would be able to handle seeing her.

When she was Marinette, he couldn't exactly handle it well, but it was… different. Seeing Marinette and knowing she was Ladybug was manageable, but for some reason, seeing Ladybug and knowing it was Marinette underneath the mask… that idea frightened him.

"Adrien?"

He turned to see Marinette. His heart sped up, and his fingers tightened into tight fists on his bag strap. There she was, watching him carefully. He needed to calm down. Geez, why was this so hard? A fiery blush spread across his cheeks.

"Hey, Adrien," she murmured, tugging at a pigtail.

 _So cute_ , he thought. Then, he angrily shook his head. _No, don't. You can't, remember? It's unfair to her._

"Is someth…"

"Hi, Marinette," Adrien said loudly, interrupting her on accident. He was trembling, internally cursing himself for everything that was happening. "Are you heading home?"

"What? Oh, yes," she answered, seeming distracted.

He noticed her hand shaking slightly, too, and for some strange reason, that helped him calm down a bit. Adrien ducked his head lower to look at her at eye level, "Are you okay? You seem a bit… distracted?"

"I'm… I'm fine. I just…"

Adrien's attention was stolen by how endearing she looked when she was blushing this madly, twirling her hair around her pigtail. Then, he stopped himself, the guilty feeling being too great for him to handle.

"Adrien, do you want to hang out?!" she shouted.

His gaze left her pigtail and met her eyes. "What?"

Marinette's eyes narrowed a bit in what looked like embarrassment. Her hands clasped in front of her. "Do you want to hang out?"

 _What does that mean? H-hang out? Does she know I'm Chat Noir or something? Why does she want to hang out with me? Is this the jacket fitting again? But I thought she…_

Adrien stopped his thoughts, instead sputtering out, "N-now?" He was not sure what else to say, but he felt foolish for saying what he did. It was too late to take it back.

"Or just… sometime?" she murmured, looking away from him before looking back.

His pulse quickened, his voice stuck in his throat. How… How did he answer? Was she… asking him out?

* * *

Marinette tried to hold in her tears.

 _He doesn't want to hang out. He doesn't want to be with you. You were wrong. You were stupid._

* * *

Was this fair? Could he say yes? Would it hurt Marinette if he said yes? What if later on she found out that he had known she was Ladybug? Did he _want_ to say yes? Was his stomach leaping happily or tumbling in nerves? He wanted to smile and yell at the same time.

Then, his heart stopped.

Ladybug's crush.

Was it…

Had it been him all along?

Adrien felt his eyes start to sting, as if he was going to cry. Had they been hurting and loving each other all along without even knowing it?

It was simple. All he had to do was reveal himself to her; he was Chat Noir. Right? Was it that simple? They could be together, and they could be happy.

His hands stretched out to her, wanting to pull her into him and hug her. Yes, she was Marinette. Yes, she was Ladybug. But... it didn't matter.

Then, his stomach tightened.

The guilt returned.

Even if he was the one she had a crush on, he…

He couldn't say yes.

He couldn't.

It was… it was cheating.

What if he was only being drawn to Marinette because she was Ladybug? It was impossible to figure out these feelings, or maybe it wasn't, but Adrien still struggled. Was it just because she was Ladybug? Was he even being drawn to her like that? He certainly wouldn't want someone to like him simply for being Chat Noir, or for just being Adrien Agreste. He couldn't do that to her; he _wouldn't_.

Another horrific thought crossed Adrien's mind. Did he suddenly want to hold her because he found out Ladybug had liked him all along?

He let his arms drop out of the air and hang limply at his sides.

That was an even greater offense, if it was true.

He swallowed down the tears, wanting to look strong, though he felt awful. But all of this was for her. The guilt was replaced by something else in his stomach, an unidentifiable feeling.

"Marinette, I…"

* * *

"It's fine," she whispered before he could say anything more. Alya had been wrong. No, she couldn't blame this on Alya. She had been wrong. She had been the one to make this decision, and now she was regretting it. Why couldn't she just have accepted her and Adrien as they were?

Hadn't she told Chat Noir she was happy so long as she had her short moments with Adrien? Why wasn't that truly enough for her?

"I get it. I understand perfectly. I'm sorry to have bothered you, Adrien." Marinette began to walk away, but Adrien's hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her abruptly. Her heart rate shot up at the feeling of his warm fingers against her skin. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she shivered.

He turned her to face him, muttering, "Wait, Marinette, I…"

"What? Do you want to hang out or not?" she muttered harshly, angry tears in her still closed eyes.

His fingers slowly uncurled from her wrist. "I… I can't."

* * *

The moment the words came out of his mouth, Marinette's face dropped. She did not try to hide anything from him, and Adrien felt the pain of every tear that streaked down her cheek as if they were his own. He wanted to say more. He wanted to explain to her, but there was nothing he could say without giving away one of their secret identities. Or both.

And it was selfish, but he didn't want her to know who he was yet. It was clear that after this she would hate Adrien, and maybe Chat would be all he had.

What was he thinking? He couldn't… he couldn't keep seeing her! After this, everything was over between them. Whatever they might have had, whatever Adrien felt he might have started… It was over. He had just ended it all. For her.

He had to remind himself that this would help her. Now, he wouldn't feel guilty every time he smiled at her.

Or did he just make everything worse?

Would he still feel guilty but for different reasons?

Was he lying to himself? Was he just scared?

His brain was too muddled for him to continue thinking straight. All he could focus on was Marinette. Thick tears rolled down her cheeks, and Adrien hated himself for watching her cry.

His hand raised up as if to touch her, "I…"

"Goodbye, Adrien," she interrupted, rushing off. And Adrien hated himself for watching her go.

* * *

"I messed up," he whispered hoarsely.

Plagg muttered from the pillow next to him, "You think?"

Adrien let his head raise from the sheets, "What else was I supposed to do, though? I would've hurt her either way!"

"I'm still not understanding how you are getting that conclusion, but okay," Plagg replied.

Adrien rolled over to look at his ceiling, "Turning her down would hurt her. And hanging out with her and then her realizing that I had known she was Ladybug before getting to know her would've hurt her, too."

"Would it really?" Plagg rolled his eyes.

"Yes."

"You sure act like you know a lot for someone so _dense_."

Adrien's mouth dropped open in shock as he turned his head to glare at his kwami.

"Maybe she just wanted to hang out and play video games. Who ever said she wanted to go on a date?" Plagg pointed out.

Adrien struggled for a reasonable answer, "Well, I just… I thought I was Ladybug's crush… I…"

"Did you know for sure? Did you ask? Did you think at all?"

His eyes widened in shock, and Adrien sat up on the bed, staring intensely at the bed sheets. "Plagg?"

"Yes, Adrikins?" the kwami mocked in return.

Adrien buried his face into his hands, "What have I done?"


	16. Midnight Stroll

*A/N I don't own any Miraculous characters.

* * *

"So, he just said he was super busy and maybe some other time," Marinette lied, trying to keep her voice steady. She didn't want to tell Alya what had really happened. At least, not yet.

"Busy?" Alya commented, her voice sounding anything but amused.

Marinette nodded into the phone, "That's what he said."

"Really?"

Taking a shaky breath, Marinette sighed, "Yup."

"Well, I'm still proud of you for trying," Alya told her, sounding sympathetic.

Marinette didn't like the tone. Alya sounded like she knew something was up, like she knew Marinette was lying. She was, but she didn't want Alya to know that.

"Alya, I'm fine," Marinette insisted in a low tone.

"I didn't say anything."

Marinette smiled, "See you later, okay?"

"Remember what I said earlier," Alya muttered. "Make a move or…"

"Thanks, Alya," Marinette interrupted, not wanting to hear it. "I'll talk to you later!"

"Good night, Marinette," her friend chirped before hanging up.

Marinette threw her phone down and curled up on her bed. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her perfect, beautiful Adrien hadn't even given her a reason why. The girl rolled over with her face stuck into her pillow and let out one long breath, keeping herself composed. It wasn't that big of a deal. It was over. Nothing had happened, so it was over.

Tikki's voice was soft by her ear, "I'm sorry, Marinette."

Marinette turned her head to smile up at her kwami. "Tikki, it's been awhile since we've transformed," she said.

Tikki, who looked incredibly sad for Marinette, hovered over the girl's head, "It has been."

"What do you say we go out for some patrols?"

"I think that's a great idea."

* * *

Ladybug felt like she was chasing her own tail. She took a break from all her yo-yoing around to stand at the edge of some random rooftop and look throughout the city for any signs of her partner. But Chat Noir was nowhere to be found, which was strange because normally he would find her first. The hero crossed her arms, trying to feel warmth, but she felt chilly. Something was wrong.

Not just Adrien… Of course, that was wrong, but she'd rather not think about that.

Something else was up. She struggled to think of what it was as she leapt down from the roof and lightly landed on the sidewalk. Her feet took her to an alleyway where she could rest for a few minutes. Her back leaned up against one of the brick walls, and she sighed. Where had Chat been?

Her earrings began to beep.

Looking up at the sky, Ladybug realized she had been out for hours, searching for her friend. Tikki must be getting tired by now. She released her transformation, setting a sleepy Tikki in her purse.

 _Guess I have to walk home,_ she thought to herself wearily. Her eyes drifted to the dimly lit sidewalks, and she tried not to feel afraid of what might be out there this late at night.

Why hadn't she packed a cookie? Why hadn't she watched the time better?

Unrolling her sleeves and crossing her arms again, Marinette began the trudge home. She prayed it didn't rain. That would be just typical. The icing on the cake. Marinette exhaled and tried to stop being so negative. But it was hard. Really hard. She allowed herself a few tears before straightening her back and hurrying even faster down the sidewalk.

Adrien didn't even say he didn't feel the same way. All he said was that he _couldn't_. What did that even mean? Marinette kept telling herself not to get her hopes up that maybe some part of him actually did like her in return. If that had been true, he wouldn't have turned her down.

Her eyes squeezed shut, and more tears slid down her cheeks, much to her dismay and anger.

 _Stop crying_ , Marinette told herself.

Her hands clutched at her purse strap as Marinette watched her feet move. Her mind was almost completely blank as she watched her feet go left then right then left then right. She still had such a long way home. Why had she gone so far? Her and Chat never met this far out; it was his patrol turf.

Her head knocked against someone wearing black leather boots. Marinette couldn't help but let out a short sigh. Her head stayed where it was against his chest, and she almost leaned into him.

"Chat Noir."

"Why are you walking out here alone this late, princess? The city isn't safe," he scolded her, touching her shoulders to push her away from him a bit.

"It's safe. You're out here, after all," she reasoned, staring hard at the ground.

Chat Noir crossed his arms, shaking his head at her.

His silence caused Marinette to glance up at him. "Were you following me?"

"No," he answered immediately, sounding suspicious.

She was too worn out to think about what that might've meant. She was trying to find him for so long as Ladybug. Maybe Chat had just been letting her look like a fool, and he had been secretly following her the whole time. He could know she was Ladybug. Marinette found herself surprisingly uncaring about this notion, her thoughts returning to the reason she had wanted to find Chat in the first place: Adrien. She shoved past Chat to get home as fast as she could. Her partner couldn't see her crying.

"Marinette?"

"Good night, Chat."

"Marinette!" he called louder.

She stopped walking but didn't face him. She dug her toes into the ends of her shoes, and her fingers tightened into fists.

"Let me at least walk you back home. It… really isn't safe."

His kind tone shocked her, but she still didn't face him.

"Please?" his voice was soft.

Marinette wondered why she thought finding Chat Noir had been a good idea in the first place. She really didn't want to talk about Adrien just yet. "I really just need to be by myself right now."

"Then, I'll trail you from the rooftops," he declared.

Marinette heard the sounds of metal scraping against itself, so she figured he was using his baton or something like that to trick her into thinking he would actually do it.

"I'll be right…"

"Chat, stop. It's fine," the girl sighed, rubbing at her eyes. Looking back at the hero, she saw that he was perched at the top of his baton a few feet above her. Chat hadn't been messing with her; he was really going to make sure Marinette got home safely, even if she didn't want him following her.

With a wide grin, the hero fell forward, landing on his feet and shrinking his staff. He slid it onto the small of his back before winking at her. Marinette started walking again, and Chat followed her dutifully, hands behind his head casually.

It wasn't so bad, walking through the streets of Paris with him silently. She was thankful for the quiet because her head was far from. Thoughts of Adrien jumbled altogether so all she could think about was his face and his smile and how much she had wished he had said yes earlier.

"I can listen," he muttered.

Marinette looked up at Chat before darting her glance away. She played with the fingers on one of her hands nervously.

"Whatever it is, I'm here to help," Chat offered again.

"I know you want to help," Marinette answered. "This is just more personal, and we don't really know each other so…"

"Wouldn't that make it easier?" Chat asked, leaning in front of her so she was forced to look at him. The two stopped walking.

"No," Marinette replied easily.

He seemed wary of her, or maybe just wary of himself. "Is it a boy? I have another friend who is having boy troubles now, too."

Marinette held in a sarcastic giggle. Ladybug must've been who he was talking about, yet she and Ladybug were one in the same. Her laugh didn't last long. Soon, she was reminded of Adrien, and her spirits fell again. There was such a strong possibility that they would never speak again. Marinette grew furious with herself for ruining everything.

"Is he ignoring you?"

Marinette's eyes flashed to the hero before she angrily stomped off.

"I'm sorry, Marinette! Did I go too far? I just want to help," Chat called, not trying to catch up with her.

"No, I just… I don't have a crush on anyone, okay? It's not a boy. It's… It's my..." She couldn't come up with a lie believable enough. Finally, desperately, Marinette turned to look at Chat, who surprisingly looked like he believed that it wasn't a boy that was causing her so much grief. Her lies died on her lips as Chat shrugged.

"Oh, so, I was wrong," he mused, tapping his chin with a gloved finger.

Marinette's head cocked to the side in bewilderment. Was he sad? His frown was so deep that she almost admitted she had lied, but the girl held her tongue, knowing that would just complicate things.

* * *

So, apparently she didn't like Adrien. Chat wanted to punch himself. He had turned down Marinette because of completely false reasoning. Yet, she still looked upset for some reason, and his strange feeling in his stomach wouldn't leave him alone until he figured out how he could help her. Because something was obviously wrong with Marinette, and he was sure Adrien had _something_ to do with it. If it wasn't her being hurt over a crush, it must have been him turning her down as a friend. But he was scared even that wasn't something easily fixed.

Chat had trailed Ladybug for hours, watching her search for him, but every time he thought maybe he could handle talking to her, Chat found himself shying away into the shadowy corners. Marinette was more approachable. Or at least, that's what he had hoped. He was so sure she wasn't going to let him walk her home, and yet, here they were, side by side in the dull lighting from the streetlamps. Chat felt oddly content.

Marinette didn't want to speak much, but he was okay with that. He just liked being around her; the warmth he felt around Ladybug was still here. It was different, though. Minus the mask, and minus the secrets. It was better.

He hadn't realized how much better this could be.

Adrien was a moron.

He knew now that he wanted to get to know Marinette as herself, not just as Ladybug. Any previous thought was unfathomable. Why had he been worried about this at all? Ladybug had made him happy, but nothing made him happier than knowing that behind the mask, she was the kind-hearted yet mysterious girl that sat behind him in class. There was so much to learn about Marinette, and it excited Chat.

Until, of course, he remembered that he had completely messed everything up earlier that day, and he shouldn't even be talking with her right now. Adrien couldn't pull himself away. But he knew he was only digging himself a greater hole with each time he spoke to Marinette.

"Why are you out so late?" Chat asked.

"Sleepwalking," she drawled sarcastically, eyes narrowed into irritated slits as she glared at him.

Chat Noir shrugged. She was hurting, and he wanted to help her, though, he had no clue how. Then, he smiled, remembering the help he had gotten from a dear friend recently. "Marinette, I received some good advice a while ago that I didn't want to follow. But… I think it may help you."

"Oh, yeah?" Marinette faced him, mouth pursed. She stopped walking again. Chat's heart fluttered at the extra time with her.

Chat Noir hovered his hands over her arms, wanting to touch her. Then, dropping his hands to down at his sides, and he said, "You have to go after what makes you happiest. No matter what. If whatever is happening to you right now isn't making you happy, then you shouldn't be pushing for it."

There was a chance he was stopping his chances with her forever, but he couldn't see her like this. Plus, he figured maybe tomorrow, she would be different around him. Maybe there was a chance she would give him another chance, even if… he didn't feel he deserved it.

Marinette's cheeks filled with air, and then she exhaled.

"I finally figured it out myself, actually, so I'm not the best person to be speaking," Chat Noir admitted, scratching nervously at his cat ears. "But I think I finally found what is going to make me happier. And… I want to help you."

She blushed, "Uh…"

"I want to be friends with you," he told her bluntly. "Because with your help, I think I can reach her."

Marinette's eyes widened and darted away from his.

Chat started walking again, this time making Marinette follow him. He was super embarrassed over what he had said, but he knew it was what he wanted. Being around Marinette would help him, but he would never be able to get to her as Adrien now. Not after his mistakes. But as Chat Noir, everything felt more natural. Everything was different from before, but he realized it must've just been a stroke of good luck.

The selfish part of him hoped to win her over as Chat Noir and then reveal himself, but he suppressed the idea, knowing it was unfair. That would be using Marinette, and that was what he had been trying to avoid this whole time.

The bakery was close. Chat mourned over the fact that their walk, however silent, was almost over.

"We're almost back," he announced, peering at Marinette. She was crying.

Once she caught him looking at her, she waved her hands to make him look away as she viciously wiped her cheeks off.

He felt as if he shouldn't have seen her crying. That was twice now that he had, and it made him uncomfortable. It was so personal. Then, his memory strangely flashed back to Nino and Alya.

Chat paused his walking so that his pace matched hers, and once she was walking next to him, he reached down and intertwined his hand with hers.

"Chat Noir, don't."

"Stop," he told her in a low tone, squeezing her hand. His heart shuddered, wondering if this was the only way he would ever be able to be close to her.

Marinette used her other hand to clear her eyes and squeezed his hand back.

They were at her door far too quickly. Chat Noir reluctantly let go of her hand, offering her an encouraging smile.

"Uh," she started, rubbing at her arm. "Thank you."

"No problem, princess," he responded, sweeping himself into a bow. He grinned up at her.

To his surprise, she smiled back, laughing over her shoulder as her hand reached for the doorknob. "Good night, Chat Noir."

He didn't want her to leave yet, but she was already halfway in the door. So Chat called out, "W-wait!"

Marinette looked over her shoulder back at him with a slight purse of her lips.

"Can I visit you? Again… sometime?" he stammered out, a bit shocked he was saying it at all. Surely she would say no. He didn't want her to, but after everything…

"Yes."

Chat's eyes shot up to Marinette's, extremely surprised yet… happy.

"Yes, you can," Marinette repeated. "We're friends now, aren't we?" Her mouth curved up on one side into a cute smile before she hurried into the bakery.

The hero took a moment to stare at the building before realizing it was late; he really should be getting some sleep or finishing his homework. Extending his baton, Chat Noir landed on the roof opposite Marinette's room. She was standing by the window, so he waved. The girl pretended like she hadn't been looking and turned away, undoing her pigtails.

Once at home and Adrien again, he fell on his bed with a sigh. He had meant it to be a happy sigh, but for some reason, it sounded so forlorn.

"Moody? Again? Geez, I can't put up with you anymore, Adrien."

"Plagg, I've messed everything up," Adrien mused, turning onto his side. He stared at his hand. "Marinette will never talk to me again."

"She just said…"

"Adrien. She won't talk to Adrien," he muttered. His hand smacked against his sheets, and he sat up abruptly, "How do I fix things?"

"Che…"

"Not cheese, you worthless," Adrien grumbled, standing up to change into pajamas.

The moon was full and bright outside his window. Adrien stared at it as he struggled to fall asleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring. Would he be able to talk to Marinette? Would she talk to him?

His stomach turned over.

"I just want to be friends with her so badly, Plagg," Adrien whispered.

"Uh, huh. Sure."

"I really messed up."

"Yep," the kwami yawned.

Adrien turned away from the window and said, "Good night."


	17. Aftermath

*A/N These are not my characters. And God bless because they are STRESS CITY.

* * *

Marinette fell asleep that night and woke up again without even really remembering what had happened. She almost thought she had just imagined Chat Noir walking her home last night because she had been so desperate to find him and ask for his advice. And though she hadn't asked him for it, he had still helped her by repeating to her what they have told each other what seemed like countless times.

 _If whatever is happening to you right now isn't making you happy, then you shouldn't be pushing for it._

She sighed, rolling over onto her side to stare at the sunlight drifting in through her window.

Adrien.

How could she face him today?

Marinette arrived at school as usual, hovering by the steps to wait for Alya. Her eyes peeked inside the school, thinking maybe Alya was already there, before she glanced at the street once more. Her heart dropped when she saw Adrien suddenly standing there, either pretending he didn't see her or not looking her way.

With a short yelp, Marinette hurried inside, pressing herself against the door on the inside and peering out of the small window to watch him. Her heart was racing, and she felt sneaky, though, she wasn't really doing anything wrong.

Nino strode up to Adrien, looking slightly angry. Adrien looked exhausted and sad, which confused Marinette. What was wrong with him? She wanted to help him somehow, despite him hurting her as he did. Nino hit Adrien's shoulder, looking like he was yelling. She almost swore she heard her name once or twice. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Geez, Nino looked upset. Her eyes shifted to Adrien; he was looking at the ground, only responding with an occasional nod of his beautiful, perfect head. Marinette finally looked away from the window, focusing on the stairway across the courtyard with tear-filled eyes.

She couldn't still love him like she did. It was only hurting her more wanting to be near him when she knew that he didn't want that at all. He had just been messing with her or something when he had been smiling and helping her home and everything that had happened. Marinette didn't need him, and she shouldn't need him. So why did she still want him so much?

"Marinette?" Alya asked softly from next to her.

She slowly turned to face her friend, bottom lip trembling. She didn't dare open her mouth for fear of a whimper or even a sob escaping. Why did she come to school? How did she think she would be able to face him after what he had said? She wasn't as strong as Chat made it seem she was. No, she couldn't blame this on him. All of this was her fault. She was the one who made the move. It was her fault Adrien didn't want her. Marinette looked down, tears beginning to silently slide down her cheeks. Her mouth and cheeks twitched as they struggled to suppress her mouth from opening and taking a long, shaky breath. She was too upset to be embarrassed. She was too distraught to be aware of her classmates looking at her.

Alya's eyes grew wide. "Come with me," she ordered softly, grabbing Marinette's arm.

Marinette nodded, wiping her nose before peering out of the window one more time. Adrien wasn't there anymore. Instead, he was walking through the doorway, about to pass her. With a frightened look at Alya, Marinette shoved her friend a bit, and Alya led her to the girl's bathroom. If Adrien saw her, he didn't say a word.

Unfortunately, they ran into Chloe primping in the mirror. When the girl turned to see Marinette's red and puffy face, she looked as if she had just woken up on Christmas morning, eyes bright and mouth in a wide smile. Alya pushed Marinette behind her protectively, knees slightly bent as if she was going to physically fight Chloe. Marinette grabbed at Alya's arm, prompting her to calm down; she didn't want anything else to stress out about today.

"Oh, poor, poor Marinette! Look at how lame, Sabrina," she mocked with a flip of her hair. "Crying at school."

Alya growled, "Chlo…"

"Go away, Chloe," Marinette groaned, a bit weakly. She used the heel of her hand to wipe at her cheeks. It was too late to hide her tears now, might as well own up to them.

Chloe scoffed before she turned to look in the mirror one more time, straightening her jacket. With a curl of her lip, she sighed, "Class is about to begin anyways. Come on, Sabrina."

Sabrina gave Marinette an empathetic look before scurrying after Chloe.

"I can't believe them," Alya sighed, standing up straighter now that Chloe was gone.

Marinette took a step back and slid down against the wall. Exhaling deeply, she allowed the tears stream down her cheeks even faster. Her vision was so blurry, and her hands swiped one after the other trying to keep her face dry. She figured she looked like the epitome of sad and pitiful at this moment, but Adrien had looked so sad this morning, too. Was it all a mistake or something? Should she dare to hope? No. No, she knew she had to move on. But she didn't want to. She didn't want to.

"I don't want to," she whimpered, closing her eyes tightly and burying her face into her knees.

"What really happened?" Alya demanded.

"No…nothing." She couldn't even convince herself.

Alya let out an angry breath, "I _knew_ he wasn't just busy."

"He said he couldn't," Marinette whispered, remembering the curl of his fingers around her wrist. He had been so warm. She cracked her eyes open to glance at her fingers, trying to imagine his hand in hers. With a sign, Marinette leaned her head against the bathroom wall and set her palms on the cool ground. She was suddenly cold.

"So, he did turn you down. I knew it," Alya said, crossing her arms.

Marinette nodded.

After a long pause, Alya asked, "So, why are you still watching him?"

Her gaze shot to Alya.

"He turned you down, right?"

"I-I was thinking I should go help him. H-he looked so sad!"

"And you're sad, too! You're crying because of him, Marinette!"

Marinette looked down again, ashamed.

"He… he hurt you. He has before, unknowingly, but now he's hurt you knowingly," Alya told Marinette. "He didn't give a reason? He didn't even say he didn't want to? He just said that he couldn't? Who does that, Marinette?"

Marinette didn't respond in any way.

"Marinette."

The girl shook her head, "No. No."

"Make a move or move on, right? We promised," Alya insisted, standing up even straighter.

Marinette wanted to feel as strong as Alya was at this moment. But… "I… I don't think I can…"

"Marinette, you can, you barely know him."

"I do know him! And I can't just…"

"Girl, what do you even know about him? That he's a model! That he's smart! That he turned you down without a good reason! Tell me, what do you really know about him? Just see reason, Marinette. You can move on, and you need to," Alya spat, seeming to get teary-eyed herself. "I don't want to be the bad guy here, but you're not thinking clearly."

Marinette sputtered for a moment before falling silent; she couldn't think of one argument, one solid argument. Nothing. Nothing. Only that she did love him, she did. She shook her head angrily, letting out an angry squeal as she put her head in her knees again.

Alya softened, a tear falling down her cheek. "Marinette, I love you. And I know that you think this is impossible, but I don't want to come to school and see you crying over him. He really hurt you, and you need to see that he doesn't deserve your time anymore."

Marinette knew this. She knew it was time to move on. Maybe part of her knew all along that her love for him was pointless and dumb. But it hurt her even more to try and push him from her heart than to continue loving him unrequitedly.

"He's bad for you."

"He's not," Marinette sobbed. _He is._

"Marinette…"

"Alya, I will. I will, someday," Marinette promised, then sniffled, "but I do know, Adrien, more than you're acting like I do. And I know that he's a good person."

"He's not a good person if this is what he did to you," Alya murmured. "You! Marinette, I can't honestly think of one boy out there that deserves you, but after what you told me, I know Adrien definitely doesn't. You deserve someone who makes you smile, not someone who makes you cry." Alya began to cry, too. "Marinette, I hate seeing you like this. I hate seeing you cry. Please, just realize that it's time to move on from him. I don't want you to cry anymore."

"Alya," Marinette breathed out, but she couldn't finish. There was nothing more to say. They both knew that Alya was right, in some sense.

"I love you, Marinette, okay?" Alya croaked, kneeling down next to Marinette.

With a nod, Marinette put her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly until the bell rang. They waited a few minutes to compose themselves, hugging a couple more times, before they hurried to class. Marinette kept her chin to her chest to resist looking at Adrien as she rushed to her desk.

"You two are late," Miss Bustier sighed from the front of the room.

"Sorry," Alya and Marinette started to say as they took their seats.

Chloe stood up, snorting with laughter. "Oh, don't mind them! Marinette was just a little… busy."

Marinette's mouth fell open, but no words came out. She stood up, chair squeaking across the ground as she raised a finger to point at Chloe. Still no words. Why couldn't she speak? Everyone in the room was equally as speechless, unfortunately hanging onto Chloe's every word.

"In the bathroom," she continued on.

Marinette shivered, _This isn't happening._

"Cryi…"

"Chloe!" Adrien suddenly shouted.

Marinette's head darted from Chloe to Adrien. She saw him sitting tensely in his chair, knuckles white as they gripped the edge of the table. His voice echoed in her head, the only sound she could hear along with her heavy heartbeat. Chloe stared at him with shock in her eyes, too.

Everyone stayed silent for a long time, even Miss Bustier, until after a few moments, Alya repeated, "Sorry for being late."

Their teacher said, "Okay, let's calm down and begin class."

Chloe shot Marinette one more glare before she plopped down in her seat with a huff, crossing her arms and sticking her chin high in the air. Marinette slowly slid into her seat, eyes on Adrien in concern. She knew Alya was staring at her, trying to persuade her not to watch, but she couldn't help it.

Adrien's grip slowly loosened on the table, and his hands dropped to his sides. Then, his head dropped to the table, and Adrien didn't move all class.

* * *

Nino held the bag out to Adrien, expressionless, "Lunch?"

Adrien offered his reserved smile up to Nino, taking the bag graciously and following his friend to their usual seats outside. Nino had already shouted at him before school for how he had treated Marinette, but there hadn't been time for Adrien to explain his side of the story. Maybe his friend was giving him a chance now. Not that he really cared. Adrien knew he deserved to be yelled at, he deserved to be ignored. He deserved all the bad things coming to him. He hurt Marinette and wasn't sure he deserved forgiveness for his actions.

They sat in silence for about a minute.

Then, Nino gulped, "So, I heard Alya's side of the story. But, thinking about it now, it didn't sound like you."

Adrien glanced up at his friend.

Nino stared ahead, "And I realize now I shouldn't have yelled at you because I didn't have all the details. So, I'm sorry."

"I turned her down," Adrien admitted instantly, feeling his heart tighten in his chest as the words came out of his mouth. He waited for Nino to look back at him, but he never did. So, Adrien continued on, "But… I don't know if she was trying to ask me out or just wanted to hang out or what… I… I messed up, Nino."

"I think…" Nino stopped, not knowing what he thought or not wanting to express what he thought.

"Nino," Adrien whispered desperately, "she won't talk to me again, will she?"

His friend exhaled deeply, "Maybe not. But it's your fault if she doesn't."

Adrien nodded. He rubbed his hands against his arms and leaned back on the bench, staring at the ceiling dejectedly. What was he supposed to do now?

"You're not a bad guy, Adrien. Don't start thinking that."

Adrien smirked, _Too late_.

"But at _this_ moment, she's hurt being around you," Nino said, facing his body towards Adrien. "Alya's telling her to space herself away from you. For her own good."

Adrien nodded again, understanding completely.

"I think Marinette still wants to be around you, though. At least, the way Alya was telling me…"

"You know, I feel sort of guilty hearing about Marinette from Alya," Adrien interrupted. With a sigh, he flopped forward so that his elbows were set against his knees. Setting his chin in his hands, he muttered, "I should just ask Marinette…"

"No, no, no! That'd make things worse."

"How can things get any worse than they are right now?" Adrien moaned, looking sideways at Nino.

Nino shrugged, looking away again.

Adrien's eyes focused off Nino's shoulder. "I thought I was helping her."

"What?" his friend asked, a bit sharply.

"I thought telling her no would be good for her," Adrien stated. The words left a bitter taste in Adrien's mouth, and he felt moronic.

Nino seemed amazed that Adrien was telling him all this.

Adrien felt a surge of adrenaline run through him. "Truthfully, Nino, I don't know how I feel about Marinette. But I knew I wanted to get closer to her."

"So why did you think saying no would be good?" Nino wondered. "If you wanted to be around her, why didn't you just say yes?"

Adrien tried to pick his words carefully, "It would have been unfair to say yes."

"But it's unfair to her to say no when you might like her anyways!" Nino interjected, temper flaring up like it had that morning. "Ever since the scarf, you've been drawn to her. And don't deny it! I'm you're friend… I know! I can tell."

 _The scarf?_ Adrien wondered. But… he didn't know she was Ladybug at that point. His eyes began to widen.

"You might never have another chance with her," Nino pointed out, "and wouldn't it have been better to take the chance when it occurred."

Adrien bit his lip and nodded, eyes stinging, "I know, Nino. I know all of this."

"Is this about your dad?"

He looked at his friend in confusion.

"Do you not feel… worthy? Is this some guilt thing?" Nino sounded desperate. He stared at Adrien with an expression almost like fear in his eyes, and his arm set itself around Adrien's shoulder supportively. "Because, Adrien, you shouldn't…"

"What? No. At least… no, it's not!" Adrien shook his head. "No, it was… Not my father." His lip trembled involuntarily. But it was the guilt. And because of the guilt, he definitely felt worthless, shameful. Marinette deserved better than him. He had thought he was doing good. He thought he was helping her. All he wanted was for Ladybug, for Marinette, to be happy. But instead he had made her cry. And not just that, but he made her cry over someone as awful as himself.

"I'll talk to Alya."

Adrien's head spun to look at Nino with hopeful eyes.

"I'll try to explain."

"No, I can…"

"She won't listen to you," Nino laughed half-heartedly, taking his arm away from Adrien's shoulders. "She thinks you're the devil for turning Marinette down how you did."

Adrien agreed with another nod before looking away again. And of course he saw her. Marinette was walking back to class across the courtyard. She flipped one pigtail over her shoulder and took the stairs two at a time to meet Alya at the top, who was viciously typing on her phone, glancing down at Nino and Adrien every few seconds. Nino's phone began to beep obnoxiously, never ceasing. Adrien struggled to drag his eyes away from Alya's glare to Nino's anxious expression next to him.

Nino ignored his phone and Alya's texts, instead looking back at Adrien, "I don't necessarily agree with what you did."

"I don't, either," Adrien pronounced.

"But I am here for you, bro. I know that you are a good person, and that you didn't mean to hurt her on purpose. I know you care about her."

Adrien's heart fluttered. He did, didn't he?

"I'll try and help you fix this, but… no promises, alright, man? I'm no miracle worker, and Alya is stubborn," Nino snickered, scratching at his hair under his cap.

"Thanks, Nino."

Nino stood up, smiling down at his friend, "I'm here for you, Adrien."

Then, he held out his fist, and Adrien knocked their knuckles together, almost feeling better. Almost.


	18. A Friendly Visit

*A/N Not my characters. Probably didn't edit this as much as I should have.

* * *

It wasn't a shock to him that Ladybug wasn't out that night. Chat Noir wasn't really expecting to find her, due to the lack of akumas recently; she didn't seem to ever be out unnecessarily, like him. That was for the best. Talking with Marinette would be easier anyways.

She was standing on her terrace, swiping her phone with a smile on her face. The sight of her eased him greatly, which was strange considering the sight of her terrified him this morning.

"Were you waiting for me, my… princess?" Chat asked, biting his tongue hard. He had almost called her his lady. Good thing he caught himself when he did, or else the _cat_ would've been let out of the bag.

Marinette looked up at him, and Chat was shocked to see that there were streaks down her cheeks and her eyes were puffy. She had been crying recently. His hands gripped the railing tightly, his stomach dropping at the sight.

"You were cr…"

"I wasn't waiting up for you, silly kitty," she giggled, putting her phone away. "Though, you did say you'd visit me, since we're friends now, so… I'm not exactly surprised that you're here."

Chat Noir felt himself begin to smile. "I wanted to talk to you."

* * *

"Me?" she asked, surprised by his intense tone. She had tried to say it jokingly, but instead, she just sounded tired. Something was different with Chat tonight. He seemed more forward or intense than usual, and it was distracting her.

"I can't find Ladybug, and normally, I'd talk to her, but," he trailed off, staring at Marinette endearingly.

That relieved her. Chat obviously didn't know she was Ladybug, something she had feared for a while now due to his closeness to her. Now that she knew that, it would be easier to interact with him. With a nod, she answered, "We can talk."

He hopped off the railing, where he had been crouched, and landed next to her. The hero leaned his back against the railing, looking straight ahead. After letting out a breath, Chat stretched out his arms to rest behind his head, his gaze never once turning towards Marinette.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's… wrong."

She gave him a look.

Though Chat didn't look at her, he must've sensed her look, because he gave a private smile and said, "A lot's wrong, actually."

"I know," she breathed out. "Same here."

The hero seemed surprised. "What's wrong?"

His mouth opened to ask another question, so Marinette spat out, "I told you it wasn't a boy!" She rubbed at her eyes with her fists.

"I was going to say school, Marinette. I never said… so it _is_ a boy?" Chat Noir asked, looking at her slyly.

Her head shook lightly, a sad grin spreading across her face. "What else would it be?"

"What," Chat took a long pause, "did he do?"

She sucked in a shaky breath and croaked out, "He broke my heart."

Chat Noir didn't respond for a long time. But then again, Marinette didn't really, either. Instead, they stood in silence. The wind blew harshly in their direction, the force of it causing Marinette to close her eyes, hair flying around her face. She spun around so her back was against the railing like Chat's, and she sighed.

Chat murmured next to her something barely audible in the wind.

"What?"

The wind died down, and Chat Noir spoke louder, "I think I might've broken someone's heart. Funny, isn't it? Our similar problems?"

Marinette frowned, "I'm sorry."

"Maybe this is why we're going to be such good friends," Chat pointed out, as if he hadn't heard her. Their eyes met, and Chat nudged her shoulder with his own teasingly. "We're both in similar situations, only opposite. And you're still a good person, whereas… I'm just a jerk. Tell me, how should I go about trying to make things better with who I hurt?"

"I can only answer that if you tell me how to get over a broken heart." Chat was so easy to talk to that she felt okay telling him about Adrien and her problems. She also felt like he might be able to help her figure everything out. Alya told her to move on, but that's not what she really wanted. Maybe Chat could help her figure out what to do. Her gaze never wavered, and Chat Noir stared back at her with his brilliant green eyes for a long time. She whispered, "Everyone says to move on."

"Don't."

Marinette's cocked her head to the side, ready for him to say more. She wanted him desperately to say more, to convince her that it would be okay to love Adrien still.

"I mean," Chat Noir looked away, looking slightly confused over himself, before he shrugged and continued, "you should. You should move on from him, if he truly meant to hurt you."

"What do you mean?"

"Who was this guy?" Chat breathed out. "Someone so pompous that he acted like you were scum to him?"

Marinette was offended. "No."

"How did he hurt you so badly?"

Her lip quivered, "He didn't give me a reason why I wasn't for him."

"Maybe the reason wasn't you," he replied back quickly.

Marinette didn't know how to answer.

"How exactly did he turn you down? Because maybe it wasn't you," Chat Noir pointed out, taking his back off of the railing and leaning over Marinette.

Marinette felt tears coming to her eyes. She had thought she could handle a conversation like this after letting it all out with Alya, but maybe she wasn't ready. Chat looked so intent on helping her, but just the thought of Adrien now was making her cry. "I'm sorry. I don't want to…"

"Then, don't. Don't speak. It's okay. We… we can talk about me now, if you want," Chat offered. He set a hand on the railing, leaning to the side to smile at her.

She was shocked by how easily he let her off the hook. Just like that, despite his obvious curiosity, Chat would drop the subject. He was amazing.

He waited for a moment before speaking again. "I want your opinion. Is there no redemption for me?"

"How did you turn her down?" she wondered.

Chat Noir shrugged, "Poorly. Much like your moronic prince, I didn't give a reason. I _had_ my reasons, but I didn't dare say them."

"There's not much redemption then. At least, in Alya's eyes," Marinette scoffed, finally facing towards him.

"But what about your opinion?" the hero whispered, ducking his head down to her level.

Marinette let out a breath. Alya had disregarded her opinion of Adrien earlier; she was semi-shocked to hear Chat Noir asking for it. She gently shoved Chat's shoulder and stated, "I think you're a good person, and you might've just had another reason to do it, right? There has to be some sort of redemption from that."

Was she just desperate to forgive Adrien? Maybe there was no redemption for someone like Chat Noir, but Marinette didn't want to believe that, because if it were true… then, she should never forgive Adrien.

She gulped, avoiding Chat's gaze, "Right?"

He caught her hand on his shoulder and held it in both of his, looking at her despairingly, "I deserve a second chance?"

"I would think so. Will she…"

"Would you give me a second chance?" Chat asked, in an anxious tone. He slowly dropped her hand from his own, their fingers just lightly touching each other's in the space between them.

Marinette's eyes moved over all of his face, every last inch of his concerned expression, and answered completely honestly, "Yes."

Even if it was the wrong decision, even if she just answered it because of Adrien, she knew that without a doubt she would give a boy like Chat Noir a second chance. All their time together as Ladybug and Chat had proved to her that he was a good person at heart. She knew him. She knew he didn't hurt this girl on purpose.

With a frown, Marinette realized she couldn't say the same for Adrien.

But Chat didn't smile at her words. Instead, the answer made him almost look sadder.

"You should tell her now," Marinette instructed. She took a step towards him. "You should apologize now. It's not too late! She might still be awake."

"I'm almost positive that would not be the best choice."

"How can you know?"

Chat gave a smile at her, "Oh, trust me."

Marinette looked down at her hands before turning to face the city again, hands on the railing.

"So, your friend, Alya. She hates this boy now."

"I think she does. He's really not a bad person, though," Marinette insisted quietly.

"But maybe he deserves this now. For hurting you. Maybe it's his punishment for being so oblivious to your feelings," Chat offered, taking a few steps away from her.

Marinette looked over her shoulder, a bit angrily, "He shouldn't be punished for not feeling the same. No one should be punished for not feeling the same way about someone!"

"What if he did, but he didn't know it?"

"Chat," Marinette's voice shook dangerously, "I don't want to think about that."

"Would you give him a second chance?"

"Yes," she answered immediately. She closed her eyes for a moment to think about Adrien. The memory that came to mind was of him turning her down. Her fingers twitched, and her stomach flipped. Then, Marinette opened her eyes and answered, a little less certainly, "Yes."

Chat spun to look at her, "If he told you right now that he wanted you, you'd say yes?"

"Y-yes."

"Why?" His voice was soft. "After all the hurt, why would you let him walk back into your life?"

"Because he deserves it."

"He doesn't!"

Adrien didn't deserve her forgiveness, did he? Alya had been right, and now Chat was right. But just a moment ago he had asked if she thought Adrien could have redemption, saying maybe he wasn't the bad guy, and his motives were just unknown. Now Chat was changing views, unknowingly siding with Alya. It caused her head to hurt, trying to decide how to handle Adrien. One moment, it seemed okay to forgive him, and the next, she felt like it was best to push him away.

Marinette stopped, then whimpered, "Are you trying to make me love him or hate him, Chat? I can't tell."

"I…"

Her eyes widened when she examined him closer, "You're shaking, Chat."

"Marinette, I'm…"

"Yes?" she asked when he didn't continue.

He turned and took two harsh steps towards her, "Can I tell you something that I don't let a lot of people know?"

Marinette's heart rushed, "I'm not sure."

"Marinette, I… hate myself most of the time for a lot of different reasons. I've made so many mistakes, and I've hurt a lot of people. My friends help me forgive myself or think better of myself. But the way I'm treating you right now is unforgiveable, and I hate myself most of all for it."

She reached for his hands on instinct, before taking her hands away and shoving them behind her back. "You're not doing anything wro…"

"I won't speak to you about him like that again. Don't worry. I won't try to persuade your feelings or interfere with your friends. That was selfish of me," he muttered. "And I don't expect you to want to be around me after…"

"Chat, you're okay!" Marinette insisted, feeling sad because of his words.

"Even if you… Will you help me… with my own problems… sometimes?"

* * *

"Of course, Chat Noir," Marinette nodded, eyebrows furrowed intensely over his strange actions. "Why?"

"Because I have no one else to tell them to."

He loathed himself for trying to raise Adrien up, and he was angry that he also tried to tear himself down. It was clear Marinette was already being pulled many different directions with her own thoughts and Alya's opinions, why did Chat think it was fair to throw his own in there? If he was honest with Marinette, he would just admit that Adrien was a pitiful human that was not worthy of someone as amazing as Ladybug.

As Marinette.

And now he knew that she had liked him in just the way he had feared she would. She hadn't just wanted to hang out as friends; she had wanted something more. Adrien was happy, so incredibly happy it surprised him. He thought of them walking down the streets of Paris hand in hand and bringing her to his fashion shows. Maybe he could help in the bakery. Maybe she could get an internship with his father. Maybe they could be together somehow.

Or maybe he would just have to keep his distance.

Adrien felt like a fool for thinking anything more than their friendship right now would be possible.

"Chat, don't hate yourself for hurting this girl," Marinette murmured. She turned to the door to her room, gesturing for him to follow her.

He felt his heart rate increase as he descended down the ladder into her room once more.

* * *

Marinette walked over to her chaise and sat down with her legs crossed in front of her. Looking at Chat standing awkwardly in her room, she gestured for him to sit on the ground next to her, which he hurried and did.

"So, how was your day?" she asked.

"That's it?" he mumbled.

"What do you mean _that's it_?" Marinette sounded offended.

"I mean… it was so casual. Can I just ask you that?"

"Why not? You said we're friends now. You're in my room. I think we're past awkward small talk, Chat," she giggled. "How was your day? Aside from the girl that you…"

"Aside from her, there is nothing else worth noting," Chat commented, setting his hands behind him on the ground and leaning back.

Marinette gulped, "Nothing?"

He shrugged.

"Do you go to school with her or something?"

The hero nodded.

"Oh, so you see her everyday. That must be uncomfortable," Marinette commented. She thought of sitting behind Adrien in class, and the tension that always weighed on her shoulders every time they accidentally make eye contact. "I know how awkward I feel around…"

Chat bent forward, "You don't have to talk about him. We can talk about anything else."

After a long moment, Marinette let out a short laugh. "I understand what you mean," she started, glancing up to meet his eyes. Her shoulders shrugged. "There's nothing really else to mention."

Chat stood up suddenly, walking over to her sewing table confidently. "Are you designing anything?"

"Not at the moment," Marinette sighed, standing up as well and making her way towards Chat. She noticed his hand touching the jacket that was folded up on the table next to her machine. "I never gave it to him."

Chat turned to glance at her for a quick second before looking away. He spat out, a bit jokingly, "Good. Give it to someone deserving."

Marinette shoved him, only half playfully.

"What?" he laughed.

"I wish people would stop acting like Adrien's awful just because he turned me down. Of course I'm hurt because of it but that's no reason for all of this anger towards him," she groaned. Her thoughts turned to Alya and her unnaturally large disdain for Adrien now.

"Adrien?"

Marinette's heart stopped. Had she let his name slip? Had she let it slip before, or was this the first Chat was hearing of it? She couldn't remember if she was trying to hide his identity from the superhero or not?

"Adrien Agreste?" Chat Noir asked softly. "So that's him."

She couldn't speak. What was Chat going to say?

"Isn't he a bit below you?" he teased half-heartedly.

Marinette was still speechless.

Chat twisted to look at her with a smirk, "Tell me about your family."

"Oh, uh," the girl stammered, glancing around her room as if that would help her talk easier. She hadn't expected that question. "My dad runs the bakery, and my mom helps out."

"I know that," he laughed. His hand grabbed the back of her chair from the desk and looked at her for permission. Marinette gave a nod, so he pulled the chair out from the desk and sat on it backwards. He set his face on his arms and looked up at her. "What are they like?"

Marinette giggled, "They're very good, kind people. Sometimes a little too invasive, but they mean well. They just want the best for me."

Chat sighed happily, staring up at her.

"They've always supported me in everything I've done," Marinette continued, sitting lightly on the desk next to him so he had to swivel his chair to continue looking at her.

"Like what? Besides designing."

"What I've done?" she squeaked, a bit surprised, yet again, by his question.

He nodded viciously, appearing more than just mildly interested in her past hobbies.

Marinette thought for a long moment, trying to think of a good example that was intriguing enough to even mention. She suddenly snickered, "Oh, I was in ballet for a couple years. Until we learned that I would never stop being clumsy."

Chat laughed, stating sarcastically, "I bet you were stunning."

"Of course I was!" she exclaimed with a loud giggle. "I was the best ballerina in the class!"

"Uh huh. Sure."

"Just watch." Marinette put her hands above her head and did a little twirl in the middle of the room, tipping to the left a little bit at the end of the spin. She attempted to sweep it into a deep curtsy to save herself from falling, but the girl curtsied a bit too far and still toppled onto the floor.

Chat couldn't help but laugh at her. It didn't even seem like he tried to hide his laughter.

She grimaced from her seat on the ground, "Your turn."

"To what? Dance?"

"No!" Marinette chuckled. "Tell me about your family."

Chat stopped laughing. "Oh, my family. Well… it's just me and my father."

Marinette sensed that she had touched a sore subject, but just as she was about to spin the conversation, Chat spoke.

"He's not around much, but I know he wants me to be the best I can be. That's why he pushes so hard sometimes." After a moment of thought, the hero shrugged, "He's a great man."

 _But is he a great father_ , Marinette wanted to ask, but she knew she shouldn't.

"There's nothing too secretive about my life like being an undercover professional ballerina," Chat continued with a smile, as if he had never frowned as he had a moment before.

"Nothing?" she breathed out.

"Nope," he shook his head.

Marinette crossed her arms and legs, pouting slightly, "That's unfair."

"How is that unfair?" Chat's eyebrows creased in bewilderment.

"It just is!" Marinette countered. "I embarrassed myself. The least you could do is tell me some funny baby story."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've done nothing embarrassing in my entire life," he joked. Then, the hero gestured to himself, "Haven't you noticed that I'm perfect yet, princess?"

Marinette rolled her eyes, "I can't notice what's not there, kitty." Then, a yawn escaped her lips, but she instantly regretted it.

"You're tired."

"No! I'm fine!"

"No, you should sleep," Chat Noir stood up to leave. "I've wasted enough of your time anyways."

Marinette shot up, grabbing Chat's arms to make him stop walking towards the ladder. "No, please! Don't… I… I can't be alone!"

His head tilted in confusion.

"Being here with you makes me forget about him, you know? I don't have many people that can help me do that. You're just so… normal."

"You're saying that to a boy wearing a black spandex superhero suit with car ears?"

She continued looking at him intensely, her grip tightening a bit on his arms.

Chat stayed still for a long time before he smirked, "I'll be back."

Marinette slowly let go of him, blushing a bit from her outburst, "Yes, yes, of course."

"But it's okay to think about him and cry," Chat muttered, hovering his hand by her cheek. After taking a deep breath, he gently touched her face with the tips of his fingers. "You can then move on, right? What you… want."

She bit her lip, feeling her eyes begin to fill with tears, "R-right. What I want. What's right."

Chat's hand dropped, "Good night, princess." He swept into a deep bow.

"Good night, Chat Noir," she smiled, dropping into her shaky curtsy.

He was gone instantly through the trap door, Marinette following him swiftly up the stairs to watch as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop away from her room. She sunk into her bed as she watched him go, thankful once more for his presence and for helping her forget, even if just for a little while, Adrien's face.


	19. True Feelings

*A/N I don't own these characters.

* * *

Marinette would show up to class, avoid eye contact with Adrien, and return home at the end of the day to do her homework and watch the window to see if maybe Chat Noir would appear again. At first, he would rarely visit, and if he did, it was only for a few minutes.

They would both comment about how boring their days had been and then chat about something random, like a video game they wanted to play, a movie they had seen, or the Mime show they had both been at without the other knowing.

She was always grateful whenever he would show up, taking her mind off of Adrien and becoming what he wanted to be to her: a good friend. The things they talked about were things she had trouble sometimes talking about with Alya. Alya would bring up Adrien a lot in their conversations, making sure Marinette was doing okay. Chat seemed to try and avoid any subject of boys, and that made it somehow easier to speak with him, and more fun. She never knew what he would ask her about next, what he would be curious about.

One night, Marinette was walking from Alya's place after working together on a group project. Her eyes were so focused on the folder and tablet in her hands, praying she wouldn't drop them to the ground, that she didn't notice Chat start to walk next to her.

"I figured I'd find you out and about," he started.

She jumped a little in fright, the tablet slipping from her grip and beginning to fall to the ground. Chat's hand reached out just in time to snatch it from the air.

"Got it!" he smirked proudly, setting it back in her arms.

"That was mean! You scared me," she laughed, elbowing him in the side.

He feigned pain before groaning, "You wound me, princess. It was playful, not mean!"

"We have different defintions of playfulness, kitty," she rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about Alya," he suddenly said.

Marinette looked at him with bright eyes before she started speaking with him once more, as if their conversation from nights before had never stopped, and they had always been walking side by side, talking.

* * *

Adrien didn't see how he could ever have not known that Ladybug was actually Marinette. They were so incredibly similar that sometimes he forgot that she wasn't wearing her mask. The way she would nudge him with her shoulder or call him kitty made him feel they were out fighting akumas.

She turned to look at him, saying something or other about Alya while he spaced out watching the way her nose would crinkle occasionally or staring at her straight teeth or the way her pigtails bounced with each turn of her head. She was utterly stunning, and Chat had to remind himself to start breathing again. He loved Ladybug, and he always liked Marinette, but now he felt that his feelings were going deeper than he had originally thought.

He was falling for her.

It scared him, but Chat knew he couldn't deny it any longer. Every night he could, he would sneak out to try to see her. Every moment in class was spent agonizing over not spinning to look at her or talk with her. Every waking moment he thought of her. If that didn't mean he was falling in love with Marinette, then what did it mean?

The corners of his mouth began to turn up into a small smile, so he looked away from her for a moment so as not to give away that he wasn't really paying attention to her. If she found that out, he would probably get elbowed again. The smile grew wider at the thought.

He felt guilty for using Marinette like this, but everything was ruined for Adrien. Marinette hadn't mentioned him to Chat in a long time, and that could only mean one thing… She was over him. She had moved on, like Alya said she should.

Well, Chat didn't want to let her get away without some sort of fight. So he took the easy road and just started to spend time with her as Chat rather than Adrien. It was sly, but what other choice did he have? She seemed to like Chat and trust him. Maybe one day he could convince her to give Adrien another shot. He shook his head; no, he had promised not to interfere anymore. But wasn't he interfering just by being with her?

The hero turned to look at her once more, letting himself smile at her. Her eyes were such a bright blue. Though, he and Marinette seemed to be such good friends now, he doubted she would ever love Chat as she had loved Adrien. His smile twitched, and he knew he had been fooling himself thinking he could ever just want to be friends with her. He cleared that thought from his head, decided to deal with that issue when it was a bigger deal. Right now, he could live with these moments in the day when they got to talk. These short moments made everything else worth it.

"Chat? Have you been listening?"

"Huh?"

She giggled again, a sweet, pure, charming sound that made Chat want to pick her up and spin her around. He had it bad. Forget falling for her, he had already fallen for her a long time ago and just hadn't wanted to admit it to himself. But now he felt that he was so far gone. There was no turning back.

"I have a friend like Alya," he spoke up.

Marinette raised her eyebrows, "Oh? So why don't you stalk them at night?"

Chat shrugged, "Good question."

 _Because Nino isn't you._

He stayed silent, not realizing she had wanted more of an explanation than that. After a short pause, Marinette gave another short laugh.

"You seem happy," he commented, starting to smile at her. Just hearing her laugh made him want to smile.

"I am," the girl grinned. "I feel really happy."

His smile widened before he looked away, watching for the bakery to come into sight. Then, Chat felt something knock against his arm. Peering down, he saw Marinette holding her hand out to him. With only a moment of hesitation, Chat reached down and intertwined his fingers with hers, tugging her hand closer to him so that they walked with their shoulders touching.

"Are you happy, Chat?" She sounded concerned. "You haven't told me about you in a long time."

"It doesn't really matter."

"What's bothering you?" Marinette asked. He thought maybe she was leaning into him even more, but he didn't want to get his hopes up, so Chat just tried to remain focused on the conversation instead of the girl next to him driving him crazy.

He gazed at Marinette, sweet, perfect Marinette, and sighed, "It's that girl again."

"Oh? You mean the one you… broke the heart of?"

"Yes. I'm starting to regret every choice I've ever made ever, especially concerning her."

Marinette nudged into him, this time he knew it for certain, and said, "Well, if you regret those choices, why not try to fix them? Just say you're sorry."

"I don't think she'll even listen to me say that much."

"Then that's her fault."

"It really wouldn't be," Chat murmured, the guilty feeling returning to his stomach. He shouldn't be holding her hand right now. But he squeezed it anyway. "None of," he thought for a moment of how to describe his sorry state, " _this_ is her fault."

Marinette pouted, "I'm only trying to help. Don't shoot down everything I say, Chat."

"I'm sorry," he muttered. Then, after a long moment of neither of them speaking, he whispered, "Thank you."

The two walked in silence, hands still clasped together. Once they were at the bakery's door, Chat bowed, as he usually did before he left, and then scurried away. What was he doing? If he liked Marinette, why was he digging himself a bigger and bigger hole? Now, if he ever revealed himself to her, she would probably be disgusted by his actions. There was no outcome from this situation where he could win anything; it seemed like no matter what he did, he would never be with Marinette.

* * *

Ladybug's cleansing light spread over the city after another akuma had been successfully cleansed. Frantically, she hurried over to Chat Noir, offering her hand for their celebratory fist bump. She had to hurry. He would be heading over to Marinette's place to make sure she was okay after the attack, and if she didn't get there first, he would be too worried about where she had been. It would be a whole ordeal that would be best solved if she just shot out of the scene quickly.

"I have to be somewhere. Can you handle the press?" Ladybug winked at Chat Noir.

He looked a bit anxious before offering a cool smile, smoothly saying, "I have somewhere to be, too, but your miraculous is running out of time. So just this once, Ladybug. You owe me."

She gripped his forearm with a smile before she swung her yoyo around a light post and flew off through the city to safely transform before heading home.

"What are you doing, Marinette? Slow down!" her kwami sputtered out from Marinette's bouncing purse.

Holding down her bag for Tikki's sake, she gasped out between breaths, "He's going to be there expecting us! If we're not there, he'll assume we were in the attack, and then we'll _never_ hear the end of it!"

Tikki giggled and was about to say something when Marinette skidded around a corner, causing the kwami to fall back into the bag with a squeal. After offering a quick apology, Marinette continued home at an even quicker fashion.

"Hello, Mama!" she called to her mother at the bakery's entrance before she sped up the stairs.

Marinette flung open the door to her room and scanned outside her windows. Chat Noir wasn't heading her way yet, and he never entered her room without permission. With a sigh of relief, she set her purse down and collapsed onto the floor with a smile on her face. She managed to beat him back here again. Then, her head shot up to the trapdoor. Maybe she didn't beat him back.

Slowly, she climbed up the ladder and opened the door to see Chat sitting by her railing staring out at the city. Her heart raced at the sight of him, resting there so casually.

"You didn't answer my knock," Chat told her without spinning to look at her. "I wanted to make sure you made it home okay."

"Okay from what?" Marinette lied through her teeth.

"You were in the attack again," he shrugged, turning to her with a smile. "But I knew you'd be okay."

Marinette scoffed, "I wasn't in the attack! Of course, I'm fine. Wh-what attack?!"

Chat stood up, brushing himself off and staring out at the city again.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Marinette asked.

"I'm perfect," he grinned, spreading his arms wide as he spun towards her. They stayed open.

Marinette subconsciously took a step towards him, "You're always so worried about me. You're the one fighting crime. I'd be worried about you than me."

"It's exactly because I fight crime why you shouldn't be worried about me. Are you insinuating that I don't know what I'm doing?" Chat smirked. His arms started to sag a little bit, and Marinette wondered if he had wanted to hug her. The thought made her smile to herself, but she covered her mouth with a hand, not wanting to explain why she was giggling so hard. Her and Chat hugging? Holding his hand was strange enough at times. Holding him…

"Pfft, no," she mumbled out loud.

"Pardon?" Chat asked, a bit slyly.

"Nothing!" she shouted, realizing her cheeks were burning.

His arms were at his sides now, and Marinette felt a bit disappointed. Realizing she had moved close enough to touch him, she reached out her hand and set it on his shoulder. Chat looked at the hand and then back to her.

"Thanks for worrying about me," she muttered.

His eyes narrowed, and his mouth curved into a smirk. He took her hand and kissed it, "Of course, princess."

Marinette giggled, keeping her hand in his for a moment before letting go. She walked up to the railing and leaned against it. Chat remained standing next to her, his chest slightly puffed out as it usually was. He almost always stood proudly like that. Setting her chin in her hands, she smiled up at him, watching for his eyes to flick down to meet hers. When they did, she let out a long breath.

He looked at her with curiosity, taking a moment to lean against the railing to peer back at her.

For some reason, she found herself asking, "Do I know you in real life?"

Chat didn't respond with words or with movement. He stayed completely still, and it scared Marinette.

She spun her body away from him and bent down so her head was hitting against the cool metal of the railing, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ask that. I didn't plan on ever asking that! I just…"

"I don't think you would want to know me, Marinette," Chat finally said. He had taken a few steps away from her now, standing behind her and facing away.

Marinette peered under her arms at him, seeing him upside down. Was he talking about the girl who he had broken the heart of?

"I'm embarrassed of my civilian self," he told her, crossing his arms and looking away from her.

"Why? Just because of that one girl?" she asked, glancing away from him also. Chat had wanted to avoid talking about their… romantic interests, but for Marinette, though, it wasn't really a sore spot anymore. Talking about Adrien was easy when it was Chat Noir she was talking to. Chat had helped her reach that point, and she wanted to help him reach that point to with this girl, whoever she was.

"I've told you, I've made mistakes," Chat murmured. "I'm not a person that I'd want you to be friends with."

"But we are friends already, Chat."

"This is different."

"It's not really." Marinette stood up, facing him. "It's just a mask."

* * *

 _It really was just a mask_ , Adrien realized that night. It was just a mask keeping him away from seeing how similar Marinette was to Ladybug. It was just his masked lady that hid Marinette from him all these months. And now that the mask was gone, he could love every side of Marinette with no barricades.

She didn't understand that it wouldn't be the same if he took away his mask, too. Chat Noir, at least around Marinette, was who he truly was inside. He wasn't that jerk that turned her down without a real reason, thinking it was for her own good when he was really just scared of the consequences.

Adrien laughed to himself as he rolled over in bed, staring at the blank wall in irritation. Marinette got him to talk and think about himself in ways he never would have before. Their bond had grown deeper these past couple of weeks than any bond between him and Ladybug or Adrien and Marinette ever would have been. He loved her. He loved every single part of her. Her temper, her anxious stammering, her poor ballet skills, her leadership, her kindness, her bravery… Every single thing… he adored about her.

He couldn't even think back to a time when he didn't think of her like this. These past weeks, everything had been Marinette. Even before he knew who she truly was, he had always been thinking of her. His memories of Ladybug were now replaced with a maskless heroine. Marinette was the one who had saved all those akuma victims with him. Marinette was the one who saved him all those times.

Tears almost filled his eyes when he thought about her and how much he had messed everything up with his selfishness. Did he really think that being apart from her was the best for everyone? She was one of the most important people in his life. What had driven him to believe that he could live without her?

Marinette could never love him. She would never love his selfishness and his weakness. No self-respecting person would.

His hands tightened into fists around his sheets, and he allowed himself to fall into a restless sleep, wondering what he should do to work this all out. Wondering if he deserved to have this work out.

* * *

"Why do you look so anxious, Marinette?"

"Hmm?" Marinette mumbled.

Tikki sighed, "Your thumbnail is practically gone you've bitten it all off! Also, you're shaking. What's wrong?"

"What? No-nothing, Tikki," she offered unconvincingly. "I'm just tired."

"I'll get the light."

"Thanks, Tikki. Good night!"

"Good night, Marinette!" her kwami smiled as she flicked off the lights in Marinette's room.

They both snuggled into bed to sleep for the night, but Marinette found her eyes wide open as she stared at her ceiling in the silence and darkness.

She was kidding herself, pretending like she was just friends with Chat Noir. It was more than that, but the extent, Marinette wasn't sure. She hadn't known it until this afternoon, just how much he meant to her. When Chat said he didn't want her to be friends with his civilian self, she realized just how much she wanted to know him.

Ladybug hadn't given him the time of day because of Adrien, but now Adrien was out of the picture. And it was all because of Chat Noir's help. He was there for her, a person that listened and offered advice, a different type than Alya's.

And she couldn't be the only one feeling it. Chat… Chat must have some sort of feelings for her, too, right?

Maybe not. He did still flirt with Ladybug, and he didn't know she was also Ladybug. Does that count as being flirty with other girls? It didn't seem like he went around to just every girl and spent as much time with them as he did with Marinette and Ladybug. She could just tell him who she is! That would solve everything.

She shook her head frantically. No, no, no. She… she was just rebounding from Adrien. These feelings weren't real. Chat was just there. He was some guy that was there for her when she needed him.

Did she believe that? Chat Noir had always been there for her. He had been one of her best friends for a while now. Her connection with him did not just pop up because of her mess up with Adrien. No, this connection was deeper. It was real… at least she thought it was.

A short laugh escaped from her lips, and Marinette snuggled deeper into her bed. She couldn't like him like that. He was her partner, but that was all he would ever be to her. A partner, a friend. He probably didn't feel that way for her. He wasn't trying to hug her earlier. That was her wishful thinking.

Was that the extent of her feelings? Did she really want to be with him… like that? To, what, date him? The thought scared Marinette, and it made her realize, again, just how confusing everything in her life was at the moment.

But Marinette smiled, reminding herself that one thing was clear.

She had finally moved on from Adrien.


	20. Professor Oppressor

*A/N Not my characters.

* * *

She was over him, wasn't she?

That morning, Marinette turned towards Adrien as he crossed paths with her and Alya. Their eyes met, and she, surprisingly, offered him a small wave and smile. He had gazed back, not making any signs of greeting, before he continued on with Nino. She had so easily just greeted him, no blushing and no stammering.

Marinette must have moved on.

Adrien hit his pencil against his knee frantically as the day went by, trying not to feel like he had lost her. It didn't seem like there was anyone else she liked. Maybe… maybe he could get her back.

He found a time to turn and look at Marinette without raising suspicion, and when he did, he found her looking out the window with a large grin on her face. More than anything, Adrien wanted to know what she was thinking of. Just as he began to smile, the boy felt another pair of eyes on him. Alya was glaring at him again. Adrien hurriedly spun back around to the front of the room and focused on his work in front of him.

* * *

All the excitement in Marinette's life was beginning to slow down, and she finally felt like her old self, only minus the Adrien obsession. At least, for about a week.

Marinette plopped down at her desk, surprisingly one of the first people in the classroom. There hadn't been any akuma attacks lately, so she had been getting to school on time more often, much to her parent's and teacher's delight.

She waved hello as Max and Rose entered for the morning before she reached into her bag to grab her journal to draw a few quick sketches before the day started. A blush covered her cheeks when she realized that in her dazed state she had covered her page in tiny black cats. After a couple minutes of trying to cover up her embarrassing doodles, she glanced up at the clock and all around the classroom. It was basically empty. She wasn't really that early, but nobody was here. Had something happened?

Closing her diary, Marinette stood up to check things out. She tried to pick up her bag and walk at the same time, causing herself to trip and start to crash towards the floor with a yelp.

"I got you!" Adrien said as he caught her and set her upright, immediately taking his hands off of her as soon as she was steady.

Marinette ignored the slight tremor in her hands and smiled at him, "Thanks, Adrien." She put her journal away in her bag before slinging it over her back and starting to leave the room. Her skin burned where he had touched her.

"Wh-where are you going? Class is about to start," Adrien called after her, confused.

"There's barely anyone in class," Marinette responded from the doorway, turning to look back in the room. Juleka, Rose, Max, and Nathanael were the only students there. She looked at Adrien until he understood what she had meant.

Adrien's eyebrows furrowed before he turned to the students, "Do any of you know if something happened?"

Juleka shrugged while Rose said, "I heard shouting from the principal's office."

"Yes, I heard it, too. Chloe is up to something again," Max replied, standing up from his seat. Everyone in the room peeked at her empty seat before letting out a collective groan.

"Okay, I'm going to go check it out," Marinette answered. "You all stay here, just in case it's an attack."

Max remained standing, offering a nod. Nathanael sunk lower in his seat. Juleka and Rose sat down, and both looked incredibly anxious.

"I'll come along," Adrien suddenly stated. He slung his bag's strap back over his shoulder and moved towards the door.

"Ah, n-no. It's fine. I can go alone!" Marinette offered, waving her hands in front of her.

Adrien was standing next to her before she could stop him. His cheeks were slightly flushed as he whispered, "I'm worried, too. Nino isn't here."

Marinette's hands dropped. "Okay. Let's go."

The two hurried down the halls, without speaking to each other, until they stood outside of the principal's office.

Adrien stuck his ear to the door before taking a step back, shaking his head. "I don't hear anything."

"Should we go in?" Marinette asked.

"After you," Adrien answered with a short bow before he suddenly stopped himself and stood up tall, scratching at the back of his neck.

He reminded her of someone; she just couldn't think of who. After she had stared at Adrien for a second too long thinking hard about his bow, Marinette returned her attention to the possible akuma. She opened the door, seeing the floor littered with sheets of paper.

Her mouth fell open, "Oh, no."

Adrien was crouched on the ground, looking at the papers. "It's… it's…"

"Are those crayon drawings?" Marinette wondered, taking one more step into the room.

"Not exactly. Look," he gestured for her to look.

Marinette knelt down next to him and looked at the sheet he was holding. On it was a very detailed crayon drawing of Nino and Alya, but…

"They're moving," Adrien said.

* * *

The paper fell out of Adrien's hand as he stared at it, completely shocked. "They're stuck in there. How can we get them out?" He spun to look at Marinette, who was looking down not at the paper, but at him.

"Stay here. I'll go get help," Marinette instructed.

Adrien stood up, "I can come with y…"

"This is too dangerous. Odds are that the villain won't come back here now that they think everyone has been… well… imprisoned," Marinette gulped. Her eyes met Adrien's, and she stared at him intensely, ordering, "Hide here. Stay safe."

He opened his mouth to protest further, before realizing Marinette wanted him to stay put because she had to go transform. He should just agree to it. It would be easy for him to sneak out once she was gone to transform himself.

"Okay," Adrien answered softly. "I'll stay here." Then, he offered her a smile.

Marinette nodded with a scared grin before she rushed out of the room.

"She's amazing," he sighed, crouching on the floor for a few moments, just to make sure she had gotten far enough away from the door not to see him exit.

Plagg yawned from inside Adrien's shirt. He peeked his head out, saying, "Are you really going to stay here? Thank goodness, because I am tired from all of your extended, unnecessary transformations. I don't get enough cheese for all the work I've done."

"All the work _you've_ done?" Adrien rolled his eyes, "And we're not staying here. C'mon, lazy." He leapt up from the ground and hurried outside, turning a corner into an abandoned hallway. "Plagg, transform me!"

* * *

Ladybug ran into Kim on her way through the halls. He quickly explained to her that Chloe had insulted Miss Bustier's teaching methods by comparing her to a kindergarten teacher and saying that she was the reason she was failing. Chloe had threatened to have Miss Bustier fired if she hadn't passed her. The comparison to the kindergarten teacher explained the crude crayon drawings; it was like some sort of sick joke. After making sure Kim stayed hidden, she continued on her way.

Ladybug ran through the hallways, wondering if the victim was even still there at all. She didn't know what she'd do if Chat appeared. She almost didn't want him to show up. If he got trapped in one of those papers, Ladybug didn't know what she would do. She stopped running at the end of the hallway, trying to calm her nerves. He could handle himself. Chat has been fighting crime for awhile now at her side; she knew he could handle it.

"Oh, is it a teacher this time?" Chat asked, landing next to Ladybug suddenly.

She jumped a little, startled. Then, she quickly composed herself. "Miss Bustier. One of the students insulted her," Ladybug answered. Taking in a deep breath, she leaned around the corner. Her eyes widened as she realized that the akuma victim was standing in that hallway. Her heart rate increased as she felt Chat's presence next to her.

She wasn't grateful at all that he had showed up.

"Is she down there?" Chat took out his baton, "Ready?"

"Chat, I…"

He stared at her, a bit confused, before he patted her shoulder, "I'll hold her off from hurting anymore students, so that you can use your power and think."

Ladybug reached for him, holding one of his arms with both her hands a bit desperately. She struggled to make her voice sound confident, "No, just wait back here. I… I don't want you to get sucked into one of her papers."

They both glanced around the corner in time to see Miss Bustier's akuma-self throw a paper from her binder and hit Ivan in the chest. It trembled for a moment before it sucked him into it, trapping him.

Ladybug looked at Chat, scared. "I don't want to lose you just yet, Chat." _Especially not like this._

He began to smile at her, "I can handle it. You just think hard. Save the day!"

"Wait, Chat!"

Chat Noir pounced around the corner, "Take _notes_ , Ladybug. Time to put my skills to the _test_!"

"Let me teach a lesson, Chat Noir," Miss Bustier's evil self laughed. "You cannot prepare for a pop quiz! Especially not one from Professor Oppressor!"

Ladybug shook her head at both of their sorry attempts at puns.

Professor Oppressor started to throw her papers towards Chat at a rapid rate, and he knocked them away from him just as quickly with his baton, smirking with each hit.

"Looks like you can't hit your _mark_ ," he shouted at her, pushing himself off the wall so he was flying over Professor Oppressor's head, baton high in the air, ready to strike.

"Chat, watch out!" Ladybug shouted, zipping her yoyo out swiftly to knock a paper away from him.

Professor Oppressor darted out of the reach of his baton, and she began running through the halls, Chat Noir hot on her tail.

Ladybug took a moment to calm herself. She had to trust Chat. He wouldn't get hurt; he never did before, and nothing was different now. Nothing was different now. She kept repeating that to herself and took deep breaths, letting out a breathy laugh. Everything was different now. Knowing there wasn't much more time to lose, she hurried to follow the two through the halls and outside of the school, where she saw Chat in a tight match against the victim.

"Lucky charm!" she shouted. Her power created a spotted rope that fell into her hands. She weighed it in her hands, thinking and wondering what she was supposed to use it for.

"Done thinking yet, my lady?" Chat called from his battle.

Ladybug bit her lip, shaking her head. She couldn't focus. Was he doing okay? She had no idea how to use the rope. "Just a little more time!" she shouted, tying the rope around her waist and zooming off to help him fight.

"A rope?" he asked, extending his baton and whipping it across the ground in attempts to trip the villain. She easily dodged the attack.

"You have any ideas?" Ladybug asked desperately.

Chat smirked, "I'm _frayed knot_."

Ladybug face palmed, "Really, Chat?" She threw her yoyo, but Professor Oppressor knocked it away easily. Ladybug reeled in the yoyo, saying, "A joke now? You should be focusin…"

"Ladybug, n…" his voice cut off as he leapt in front of her, receiving the magic paper straight to his back. His hands had just barely grabbed her shoulders when he was gone, just a simple crayon drawing on the paper.

She stopped moving, realizing she was a very easy target at the moment, but she couldn't care about that. All she could see, hear, process was the small drawing of Chat on the paper in front of her.

"Chat?" Ladybug whispered, bending over to look at the drawing. Her body shook as she gingerly picked up the paper. She squeaked out, "Chat?"

He was knocking his fists against the front of the page, as if trying to escape. Her fingertips brushed over the image of her partner.

"Chat, I'm so sorry…"

"You can get him back, if you hand over your Miraculous. _Exam_ ine your choices, Ladybug. Surrender is the best option. The only option," Professor Oppressor hissed, holding out her hand. Her other arm still clutched the binder, the source of the papers. Ladybug's eyes narrowed.

If the akuma wasn't there, Ladybug didn't know here it would be.

"I have a better idea," the superhero responded, standing up and spinning her yoyo quickly. She shot through the air at the villain, swinging to avoid the magic papers. Her vision went blurry, but she kept zooming in circles, trying to tire out Professor Oppressor. Then, in an instant, Ladybug shot down behind her opponent, grabbing the rope to tie her arms down so she couldn't throw any more papers.

Not wasting time on gloating over her victory, Ladybug ripped the binder out of the victim's hands and tore it apart viciously, watching desperately as the black butterfly fluttered from the destroyed item. After it was purified, she threw the rope into the air and watched as Miss Bustier slowly returned to her normal self.

* * *

Chat reappeared where the paper had been left on the ground. He let out a breath of relief, rubbing at his stomach and chest, making sure everything was back to normal. Ladybug was at his side in an instant, expression blank. Her arms were trembling a bit.

He gave her a playful smile and held out his fist to his partner. "Looks like we aced this one, didn't we, Ladybug? Or you could say we _passed_?"

"Oh, quit it," she grumbled, knocking her fist against his. Then, she shuffled from foot to foot awkwardly, looking as if she wanted to say or do something. Yet, she didn't do anything. Then, her earrings beeped, and she was off.

Chat smiled as she left before he turned to hurry to the back of the school. When he was sure no one was watching, he quickly transformed back to normal and walked back to class.

Marinette was already there, watching the door as if she were waiting for him. She sat up a bit straighter at the sight of him.

"You're okay?" she asked, glancing at him with concern.

"Yeah! I followed your instructions and stayed put. Thank you," he nodded, scratching at his neck anxiously. He took his seat but spun to face her. Just as he opened his mouth to speak with her, Alya cut in.

"You think we'll have a sub, Marinette? Because of Miss Bustier being all evil and whatever?" Alya teased, wiggling her fingers at Marinette.

Marinette giggled in response at her friend before looking thoughtful, "I don't know. I would guess that…"

Adrien looked at Alya as Marinette spoke. The girl shook her head at him for a second before turning back to Marinette and laughing and talking with her, as if specifically speaking so much that Adrien couldn't say one word to her.

He deserved it, didn't he?

Nino bumped his shoulder and offered an encouraging smile. Adrien nodded at him and regretfully faced away from Marinette. He thought that today would be his chance to finally speak with her again, to finally try and fix their broken relationship, friendship, whatever it was.

He was mistaken.


	21. Discovered

*A/N Not my characters. Sorry for a shorter chapter, but the break fit here nicely.

* * *

The rest of the week was incredibly discouraging. Adrien was denied any chance to speak with Marinette by Alya. Not only that, but it seemed like Marinette didn't even notice that he was trying to speak with her. When he would walk by her, he would raise a hand as if to say good morning, but she wouldn't even look his way, leaving him standing alone with his hand raised in the air like a moron. Adrien didn't care that he looked kind of like a loser; he cared that Marinette appeared to want nothing to do with him.

Noticing that Marinette had started getting to school on time, Adrien decided to show up even earlier than usual to school one day, just in case there was some sort of miracle that would let him catch Marinette alone again. Hopefully, if he did see her, there wouldn't be an akuma, or an Alya, to disrupt them.

Yawning, Adrien strolled into the classroom. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Marinette at her desk. His eyes widened as his body froze, leaving him gawking at her slightly. Adrien hadn't actually expected to get another chance like this. But here it was. And now that he got this chance, he was speechless. What… what should he say?

Marinette looked up at him, smiling politely, "Good morning."

"G-g-g-good morning," Adrien stuttered, making his feet move again so he could sit down. He remained facing away from her, unsure of what to say, and he wasn't exactly excited to see what her reaction would be to him, a massive jerk, trying to converse with her, especially after everything that had happened between them. The boy sighed. He just wanted to move past his mistakes.

"You know," Marinette suddenly said, beginning to yawn, "getting to school on time means waking up earlier. I don't think my new lifestyle of being here on time every morning is exactly suited for me." She yawned again, "I'm exhausted."

"R-right. M-me, too." Adrien was shocked by her easy conversation. This girl who used to stammer and blush around him. How the tables had turned. His cheeks flushed. "At least it's almost the weekend," he muttered out, looking over his shoulder at her.

Marinette grinned with a nod before rifling through her bag for a notebook or something. Once she found it, Adrien sneakily watched her open it on her desk and started erasing and drawing. He couldn't help himself.

"Oh, working on a design?" Adrien asked.

"Just a quick sketch for this dress I've been thinking of," she answered easily. Spinning the notebook to face him, she frowned slightly. Her pencil tapped against the desk a couple times before she groaned, "I'm having a hard time deciding if I want those ruffles or not."

Adrien spun around completely in his chair to face her, craning his neck to glance at the dress. It was a cute and simple design. He let his eyes wander up to Marinette before he darted his glance away; this dress would look really good on her. "What's the occasion?"

Marinette blushed, quickly hugging the notebook to her chest. "It's _not_ for a date, if that's what you were thinking."

Adrien raised his eyebrow teasingly at her, "I never said anything."

"You were thinking it," Marinette accused, pointing her pencil in his face pointedly.

"I wasn't. Honest," Adrien replied. He raised his hands in surrender.

The tint in Marinette's cheeks lessened a bit as she switched her glance from Adrien to the notebook snug against her. Tilting her head to the side, she erased at the page intensely, explaining, "They're a bit childish, anyways."

Adrien opened his mouth to say something when he was knocked in the head hard. His hand reached for the bumped spot as he turned to see Alya clutching at her textbook.

"Oops! I'm so sorry, Adrien! Didn't mean to," the girl sputtered out, sounding sincere, though, Adrien knew better.

"It's fine, Alya," he muttered.

"Good morning, Marinette," Alya smiled.

"Morning, Alya."

Adrien rubbed at his head and turned away from Marinette.

"Oh, you took out the ruffles."

"Yeah, they were a bit childish."

Adrien pouted slightly; Marinette didn't even seem concerned with the fact that their conversation was over. Adrien groaned and sank into his seat; he had thought there was a connection between them. That blush on her cheeks. It meant something, didn't it? Or she blushing because was she thinking about… what, a date? With who?

Adrien swore to himself that Marinette wouldn't get over him so easily. He was going to fight for her, but in his own subtle ways. And out of the sight of Alya and her refusal for him to so much as glance at Marinette's cute face.

He stopped trying to catch peeks of Marinette, knowing it was worthless to try and look at her when he would receive a mighty glare from Alya, too. It made him realize that in order to change his relationship with Marinette, he would also have to get Alya on his side, too. The idea sounded so impossible that it made his stomach tighten. Adrien focused on his schoolwork instead, though, it made the day drag on longer than usual.

Nino raised a hand in parting, and Adrien also waved goodbye, starting to slide into his car. Just as he was about to close the door, he saw Marinette standing at the bottom of the steps, watching him. He gave her a small smile before he closed the door and drove off for home.

* * *

The next day was equally as sluggish. Adrien focused completely on his homework instead of thinking about Marinette and what she could possibly be up to today. Was she working on the dress? Some part of him wanted to go visit her. Maybe he would. He shouldn't, but he knew he would.

It wasn't until late afternoon that his day grew really exciting. While checking the Ladyblog, he noticed that Alya had posted a video update from an akuma attack. Marinette was already there. With a hammering heart, he transformed and hurried to the fight and to his lady.

Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated the akuma fairly easily, but Chat had needed to use his Cataclysm, so there was no way he could head right over to Marinette's at that moment. Even if he wanted to risk it, it was too light out for him to sneak into her room without suspicion.

The strangeness of his action's almost made Adrien laugh; was he really sneaking in and out of Marinette's room as often as he was? That was something he never thought he'd be doing.

Chat quickly dashed behind a building that was shaded enough and lifted his transformation, catching Plagg in his hands and taking out a piece of cheese to re-energize his kwami.

"Take your time, Plagg," Adrien insisted softly.

The kwami looked up at Adrien with a smirk, "That's something I've never heard before."

"It's almost evening," Adrien explained with a short chuckle. "Might as well just wait until it's darker and head over to Marinette's."

"I should have guessed that your patience had nothing to do with my desire to savor my Camembert."

Adrien laughed and even pet Plagg's head a bit as he waited for his kwami to finish eating.

Once Plagg was finished, Adrien transformed back into Chat Noir and stretched out a bit, ready to head over to Marinette's house. He really hoped she would be home.

The hero stepped out of the shadows of the buildings and into the dimming light of the sunset as he took out his baton to take him to the rootops. He had already begun to extend the baton when he heard a voice behind him speak one single word that stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Adrien."


	22. Orders

*A/N Not my characters.

* * *

"Adrien."

The name shot shivers through Chat Noir as he spun around the face the one who had discovered him.

Alya.

The girl raised up a shaking finger to point right at him. "I knew it." Her voice was accusatory, so full of blame and anger that it trembled.

"A-Adrien? You mean the model? Adrien Agreste?! Oh, I'm flattered, but you're mistaken." Shaking, he gestured to himself, "I'm Chat Noir! But, of course, you know that, right, Miss Alya? You run the Ladyblog, don't you?" He pointed and winked at her, "You know, I follow it, and…"

"Save it, Adrien," she grunted in a low voice, holding up her phone to show a short clip of him retransforming.

Chat hastily took the phone, re-watching the video over and over again. It was really him,

"I know it's you, so, save your excuses for someone else."

He gulped, slowly handing the phone back to the girl, "That's… really good editing! I almost believe that I am Adrien. Where did you learn…"

"Quit it, Adrien," Alya growled. She lowered her phone to stare at him for a long moment before she, surprisingly, shoved him hard in the chest. He fell backwards a couple steps and then steadied himself, just in time for her to push him again, even harder this time. She hissed, "What are you doing?"

"I am simply on my way to… You see, Miss Alya…" Chat raised his hands to stop another attack from her before they dropped to his sides in defeat, allowing her fist to hit his chest a couple times. Chat had to give up. She knew. She figured him out. "I'm… saving Paris. I know that it's dangerous, but I…"

He was cut off by a harsh laugh. "No, not with your," she spat as she waved her hands at his costume, " _heroics_. I don't care about that right now. No, what are you doing?" After waiting a few moments to see if he would answer, Alya cried, "To Marinette, Adrien! What are you doing _to my friend_?"

Chat Noir gulped, looking at her in confusion, "What?"

Alya didn't speak, instead, opting to glare at him.

Adrien couldn't find any words that seemed appropriate to say at the moment. He didn't know how to handle the amount of anger that was being directed at him in that moment. And how did Alya know about Marinette? How did Alya know about _him_?

"How'd you figure me out?" Chat whispered.

It was clear Alya didn't care to talk about that, but she humored him, "I've been suspicious of you for a while now. You looked a lot like Chat, anyways. But… something about Chat's obsession with Marinette just tipped me off." Then, she gave him another harsh look, sneering, "What? Did you grow bored of Ladybug?"

"How did you know about… Marinette and…"

Alya let out a long sigh, almost embarrassed, "She's doodling cats!"

Adrien blushed because he couldn't help it; the thought of Marinette sitting in class and doodling cats was just too cute.

"And that's not the only reason. I've caught her reading the articles with more Chat Noir in them. She _never_ reads the Ladyblog this intensely," Alya grumbled, tipping her head back.

 _Because she lives it_ , Chat thought.

"She's not very discrete, either," Alya pointed out. "I can _clearly_ see her tablet when she's reading about you."

Chat tried not to get a big head over that. He knew Alya hated him, and he needed to somehow fix that if Marinette would ever speak with him again. Maybe he could fix things. Well, only if he could get a word in edgewise. Alya continued on ranting.

"And you were acting strange around Marinette. So, I figured… Well, it was more of a lucky guess, that you were more than just some jerk that turned her down. No, apparently you're even worse. You're a jerk that turned her down but kept pursuing her as _someone else_!" Alya shoved her finger into Adrien's chest, hard. "Why?" she demanded.

"Why I…"

Alya didn't wait. "You _hurt_ her. She was _hurting_. Over her sweet Adrien! Her _caring_ Adrien! Hurting over her beautiful, _perfect Adrien_! She might still be hurting, but she won't tell me! And here you are," her voice caught a bit, "becoming her new best friend when you're the one that messed her up in the first place. How… how dare you do that to her and think you still have the right to look at her."

"I…" Adrien shook his head, "Who are you to decide who can look at her? I…"

Alya interrupted him again, "And now you're playing with her heart as Chat Noir?"

"I am not playing with her heart. Does… does she…"

"Like you? Like that? God, I hope not," Alya groaned, shaking her head. Then, she raised her head up a bit, whispering, "But…"

Adrien dared to let his heart hope because he knew it was wrong. Alya was showing that; she was showing him how wrong it was. Everything he was doing…

She reached out a hand and pushed him again, growing even angrier, "Why are you doing this?"

"I… I can explain!"

"You don't need to. I know that you're just a massive jerk."

That one hurt Adrien. He stood up straighter, shaking his head. "I'm not. Alya, please, you can't understand, but I'm… I'm not just some jerk. I… did it all for her. I… I swear…"

"Are you still doing it all for her? All of this seems _really_ selfish to me," Alya said. For good measure, she hit him again, a bit lighter this time.

Chat looked at the ground, barely feeling the punch. Was he really this selfish?

"Why did you turn her down in the first place if you want to be around her so much?" Alya wondered, voice shaking. "Do you actually like her? Because if you do, this is a really messed up way to try and get her attention."

"I can't tell you."

Alya's arms waved in the air in exasperation, "Is that supposed to be an answer? It's not good enough! Do you like her or don't you? Why did you do it then?"

He stammered for a moment.

"Why, Adrien?" Her glare hardened. "Why?"

"Alya, I can't… I can't tell you," he repeated, feeling lousy.

The girl's head shook, turned away from him, and muttered, "Why is she so stuck on you?"

Chat looked at Alya, eyes wide. _Still?_

"Why did she spend so much time refusing to let you go?" Alya thought aloud, grimacing. After a second, she stamped her foot really hard on the ground.

His glance shifted back to the ground.

"Just tell me something. Anything. Give me any answer to try and make me not want to strangle you right now for playing with her emotions like this," her voice was scarily soft.

Adrien found words pouring out of his mouth as he struggled to explain himself. "I wasn't sure what I was feeling, Alya. I didn't want to hurt her! A lot… a lot of things happened that I can't tell you about, and… I didn't want to use Marinette in a way that would hurt her." He fell back against the wall, sighing. "But I just made things worse in the process."

It was sort of freeing, being able to finally speak to someone about this problem, if only it was in such a vague way as this was. Chat almost smiled.

Alya slowly spun to face him, nostrils flared. "Don't you _dare_ try and make me sympathize with you."

Chat met her gaze with shock, wondering how she could say something like that to him. He was growing seriously irritated because while half the things she said were true, the other half were extremely hurtful. He wasn't a bad person. He knew… he knew he wasn't. Was he?

Was he truly as awful as Alya thought he was?

"Marinette did nothing wrong to you ever, and you still felt like it was okay to treat her like this?"

"I never said I thought it was okay!" Chat rebutted, shooting up on his feet in a moment to hover over Alya.

"If you didn't think it was okay, then you wouldn't have done it!"

"Alya, you don't understand anything about the situation!"

"I know plenty! I know enough to know that Marinette should not be around you anymore," Alya stated. She rose to her full height to glare up at him, not stepping back or stepping down. "She won't be around you anymore."

Chat spoke softly, "That's not for you to decide."

Alya's nose twitched in rage.

"I…" his response died in his mouth. There really wasn't anything more for him to say.

She took a step back from him.

Chat didn't dare meet her eyes just yet. Instead, the hero specifically looked away, rubbing at one of his arms.

"I'm sorry, Adrien."

He looked up to see her whole body loose, arms dangling at her sides.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, not looking exactly apologetic, but definitely not as furious as before.

"What?" he breathed out.

Gulping, Alya held his gaze. "Don't play with her emotions anymore, okay? Don't visit her anymore. Don't hurt her as… _this_ version of yourself, too."

"Alya, I just want her to…"

"I'm not going to tell anyone your identity," Alya interrupted, taking a forceful step towards him. Then, she poked him in the chest again, ordering, " _Fix this_."

* * *

Chat didn't visit her that night, and the next day, it left Marinette a bit on edge. Had something happened to him after the attack? She had shot of there so fast, assuming he wouldn't be far behind to come see her, that she didn't watch if he got anywhere safely.

She strolled into the classroom the next day, still on time. Adrien was in his seat, watching her as she entered. Marinette noticed that he sat up a bit straighter when he saw her, and her heart gave a traitorous thump.

"Good morning," he muttered to her with wide eyes.

Marinette gave him a smile, "Morning!" When she sat down, her fingers checked her cheeks to make sure she hadn't blushed. His eyes looked really green today. His hair just the right amount of tousled, and it was getting so long.

Just as Marinette had sat down, Alya had entered. Marinette waved at Alya happily, before her hand froze in her bewilderment. Alya and Adrien shared a look, as if conversing silently through their expressions. It ended with Adrien's shoulders drooping forward and Alya grinding her teeth. To her surprise, Marinette found herself feeling a bit jealous.

At lunch, Alya was acting strangely serious.

"You seem to talk to Adrien much more now than, well, ever before," Alya commented.

Marinette nodded but didn't speak.

"You've moved on, haven't you?" her friend whispered. "You're over Adrien."

Marinette turned to look at Alya with a small grin on her face, "I… think I am."

Alya's mouth continued to hang open, like she had a million questions but didn't know which ones to ask.

"It's actually pretty lucky I got turned down when I did, or else I would still be hung up on him, you know?" Marinette nodded to herself, "But you were right. He… he wasn't good for me. I don't hate him or anything! I'm always going to be upset about what happened, but I don't despise him. I just know that it wouldn't be worth it to hang onto him when I've already been turned down, right?" She shrugged, "It's not like he would have ever liked me back anyways."

"Who are you, and what did you do to my obsessed friend?" Alya chuckled, hugging Marinette.

She smiled, "He can't hurt me anymore."

Alya stiffened.

"He's," she struggled to speak, "completely out of the picture now!"

"You haven't moved on to someone else, have you?" Alya whispered into her shoulder.

Marinette blushed. She couldn't tell Alya about Chat. She wasn't even sure how deep her feelings were, and also, Alya ran the Ladyblog. She would be desperate for an interview or something. She might even post about Marinette's little meet-ups with the masked hero, and Marinette's parents would _not_ like that at all, even if all she and Chat did was talk. And occasionally hold hands. But… that didn't count as anything, right? Tons of friends hold hands!

Marinette couldn't even convince herself.

"You have, haven't you?!" Alya muttered, pulling away from Marinette with a strange, uncomfortable smile on her face.

"No, there's no one!" Marinette squeaked, turning away to hide her burning cheeks. Her eyes wandered to the opening of the school, refusing to meet Alya's desperate gaze.

Alya gave a short laugh before she started to ask about the supposed crush of Marinette's. Marinette tuned her out, a bit too focused on Adrien getting into his car. He raised a hand to wave towards Nino before the wind caught his hair, making the blond strands glow in the sun. His hand reached up to smooth it down as he slid into the car, pulling the door closed behind him. Her breaths were short, her heart pumping, but Marinette did her best to ignore it.

Even if she didn't love him like that anymore, it wasn't as if he was less good-looking to her. At least, that's what she reasoned to herself.

"Marinette? Marinette?! What are you looking at?"

"Huh?! Oh, nothing! Just that… pigeon!"

Alya shook her head, dismissing her friend's strangeness. "So, who is it?"

"What?"

"Who is it that you like?" Alya demanded playfully, grabbing Marinette's arms and looking her in the eye with a large smile on her face. The smile didn't reach her eyes.

Marinette blushed furiously, "I told you that I don't like anyone!"

"Okay, I get it. You're going to make me find out for _myself_ , aren't you?"

"Alya…"

Her friend winked a bit forcefully and let go of Marinette's arms, "I'll figure it out."

"Alya!" Marinette hissed embarrassedly, causing Alya to laugh at her.


	23. Selfish Decision

*A/N I don't own these characters. It's literally 10 PM... Why am I updating so late?

* * *

Adrien looked at his phone that night, but he was not sure why he did it. Marinette wouldn't text him because she didn't even have his number. Even if she did, why would she want to talk to him? All the signs pointed towards the fact that he was so unimportant in her life. Letting the phone slip from his fingers, it landed face down on his chest as he sighed at the ceiling.

He really wanted to see her, but Adrien knew that this whole time, he should have been leaving Marinette alone. Alya was right, and her words haunted him; it was selfish to be around her as Chat. All the choices surrounding her were made for himself; he ahted the truth of those statements. But… he needed Marinette. She was his closest friend. More than that. He couldn't put words to how much she meant to him, but calling Marinette a friend was like calling the sun a dull flashlight. His chest suddenly began to ache.

He missed her.

His phone vibrated. Adrenaline pumped through his body as his shakily picked up the phone, irrationally hoping it to be Marinette.

Instead, it was Alya.

"Hello? Alya?" he said as he accepted the call.

"I don't believe her for a second."

Adrien sat up in his bed, eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Uh, hello?"

"I… I don't believe her. I honestly can't believe she's convinced herself, but… That's not why I called." After a moment, Alya demanded, "Where are you right now?"

"My… room?" Adrien couldn't stop himself from sounding concerned. He could almost hear Alya's eye roll.

"You aren't thinking about visiting her tonight, are you?"

He sighed, "No. I wasn't planning on it."

Alya was quiet for a moment.

"I don't want to hurt her, Alya," his voice was soft. Just thinking about how Alya viewed him made him sad. The last thing Adrien ever wanted was for Marinette to get hurt in any way because of him. How did Alya think that he could possibly take joy from seeing Marinette in pain? "Do you understand that?"

"You really do like her, right?"

The question was so unexpected and so sudden that the boy couldn't stop the short squeak that escaped past his lips. Adrien blushed madly and slapped a hand over his mouth so that his erratic breathing and any other weird outbursts weren't overheard by Alya. Luckily, she seemed to ignore the squeak.

 _Of course he liked her._

"Otherwise, you wouldn't be so concerned, right? Adrien?"

He still didn't answer.

"Adrien, I'm going to help her move on. From both parts of you."

His hands tightened into fists, "I understand."

"I know you're probably upset, but this is for the best."

"I understand, but I won't let you do it," Adrien responded. "I won't lose her, Alya."

The girl didn't respond.

"She means a lot to me in ways you probably wouldn't understand, but I can't lose her. Not now when she's so much a part of me…" his voice trailed off.

Alya took a deep breath before saying, "Good luck with that." Then, she hung up.

Adrien left the phone up to his ear for a minute after she had hung up before his arm slowly went limp, and eventually, it dropped to his bed beside him. His head fell into his hands. It was probably for the best that Alya had hung up; he was so embarrassed over what he had said, and he wasn't sure where he would have gone from it, either.

He was so torn between wanting to do what was best for Marinette right now and for wanting to be around the one person who made him feel wanted and needed. She would wait up for him just to talk to him about his day. She was genuinely interested in his life behind his mask. She was witty and exuberant and stunning and interesting. She was the best part of his day.

There were others, of course, in his life that would talk to him, but no one that gave him the same feeling that Marinette did. The way she would look at him, tease him, speak with him… all of it made him feel… worth it.

And now… he was given a choice to leave her behind or to keep her, the choice for himself or for her. He didn't want to prove Alya right, and be selfish, but didn't he deserve to go after what made him happiest? Even if he had messed up before, didn't people deserve second chances? Adrien… Adrien thought he did.

His mind settled into its usual dream of him and Marinette, shooting around Paris in their superhero costumes without masks on, being together and happy with no secrets, with no walls between them. He began to smile just thinking about her, before it turned to a frown when he realized what he had to do. Stay away from her. Alya was right about him unjustly playing with her emotions. At this rate, if he ever revealed himself as Adrien, could she ever forgive him?

The dream of him and Marinette together was just that. A dream.

Adrien laid back down on his bed, letting out a long breath and allowing his eyes to slowly fall closed. Despite the fact that he was on the verge of making the very decision that would ruin his life, for some strange reason, Adrien felt incredibly peaceful.

So, of course, his father had to come home and disrupt the peace.

* * *

Marinette was sure that maybe tonight he would visit her again. She curled up on the chaise under a blanket, watching the windows for a sign of Chat. She didn't like that she wanted to see him so badly, but… she wanted to know for sure… what she felt.

She set a blanket next to her on the ground, thinking maybe they could huddle on the roof like they had a couple of visits ago. Chat had liked pointing at the stars and pretending he knew the constellations. It had been humorous and… kind of romantic. Marinette struggled to remember if they had held hands or not. They probably had.

Why did that make her so jumpy to think about?

Her eyes drooped a bit in exhaustion, causing her view out of the window to blur a bit. Where was Chat? Where had he been? She missed him.

* * *

The door to his room slammed open, causing Adrien's desk to shake a bit.

"Adrien," his father spat out, "Do you care to explain to me just _exactly_ what you have been doing lately?"

The boy shot up from his bed, standing up quickly with a small smile on his face. "Father! You're back! How was…"

"Spare me welcomes, Adrien. Where have you been?"

Adrien was upset. His father had been gone for a while on business, and this was how he greeted him? By… scolding him for sneaking out? Adrien's eyes shot wide open. How did he know about him being out?

"Care to explain why you have missed about a dozen piano lessons? Your fencing tournament? Not to mention, Nathalie told me that you missed a photo-shoot last week," his father snapped, peeking at a clipboard in his hand to get the facts just right. His eyes slid over the top edge of the papers to glare at his son. "Explain."

"Father, I was with a frie…"

Gabriel, apparently, didn't care for any sort of explanation. Instead, he stated, "No. You were being reckless and naïve. We've made agreements, Adrien, and you have shown me great disrespect."

Adrien felt his heart rate increasing and his forehead grew sweaty, "Father, I never meant to…"

"Please, be quiet and just listen for once, Adrien."

 _I always listen_ , Adrien cried out in his mind. Instead of speaking, he grabbed one of his wrists with his hand and squeezed it tightly behind his back, trying to release his anger and slight panic.

"I'm very disappointed in you," his father moaned, rubbing at his temples. "I trusted you to be on your best behavior, but instead, I come home to see you throwing all the rules out of the window. The fault is entirely mine for allowing you to go to school and socialize with those… disrespectful and immature children."

"My friends…"

"Yes, your so-called friends," Gabriel Agreste sneered. "If you keep this up, I will have no choice but to pull you from school."

Adrien almost scoffed. He was threatened this a lot, but it never came through.

"And this time, I am completely serious. Next week, you will make up all the lessons that you missed and apologize to your instructors. Now, apologize to me."

"I'm sorry," Adrien said, beginning to tremble.

"What would your mother say?"

"I was going to ask the same thing."

His father glared at Adrien for a long minute before he turned. He hissed, extremely threateningly, "Enough, Adrien, or else there will be more consequences than just making up for your missed lessons." He left the boy's room. The door slammed shut loudly, causing Adrien to jump slightly.

Adrien couldn't calm himself. He felt scared, panicked. Why had he said that? Why did Adrien talk back to him like that? It would have only made things worse, and yet, Adrien had still... His father had never been so condescending towards him, and for some reason, the threat of being isolated again sent true fear through Adrien's body. And he didn't know what to do.

Every time his father so much as looked at him like he had just now, Adrien felt worthless and unneeded, and he wondered why his father even bothered to keep him around if he was that unwanted.

Adrien squeezed his wrist tighter. He tried to count all of the time he had wanted to run up to his father and tell him a story from school or a funny joke Nino had told him, and it only made him feel worse. This… this wasn't what families were supposed to be like, right?

"A…Adrien?" Plagg's voice murmured out from behind him.

Families wanted you around. Families acted like they needed you.

"Adrien, c'mon, kid. Are you alright?"

"Plagg, I'm very selfish."

The kwami didn't answer.

Softly, Adrien murmured, "Plagg, transform me."

* * *

Chat landed on the balls of his feet quietly, peering at the covers of her bed. "Marinette?" he whispered. It was pointless; it was obvious she wasn't in bed. Where was she? She had normally always waited up for him, and she seemed to have been waiting up tonight, considering that the terrace door was open. Normally, he would never enter her room without being invited, but this was more serious than a casual conversation. And he needed her. He needed her badly. He needed to feel wanted, worthwhile, and she was the one person that made him feel that way with simply a glance.

And she wasn't there?

His shaking hands grabbed the sides of the ladder and held on tightly to either side of it as he slid down to her main floor where he looked around the room some more, finally finding Marinette snuggled up under a blanket on the chaise. A relieved smile broke out on his face; had she been hiding from him and fallen asleep? There was another blanket on the floor next to her. He assumed she had been planning to take him to her roof again, since he had liked it so much the last time.

The waves of relief that rushed over him just from seeing her face were incredible, but still, she couldn't possibly be comfortable in that position. Her neck was craned in a weird direction, her arms were bent around to cushion her head in a strange position, and the way her back was curved seemed painful. But there she was, lying there in wait for him to appear. Or so he assumed. The thought alone made his heart soar.

Chat Noir decided to wake her up so she could move to her bed, and so that he could speak with her, help his heart rate settle down a bit from his racing anxiety. His father's words echoed in his head, and Gabriel Agreste's dark eyes cut through Chat's heart, causing him to shake a bit more. He knelt by the chaise and began to gently shove Marinette's shoulder in attempts to wake her.

"Marinette? Hey, Marinette?"

He tried not to sound so desperate. Really, he tried.

She moaned and rolled over, so that she was facing him, though she was still mostly asleep.

"Marinette, do you want to move to your bed? You don't look comfortable," he whispered.

One of the girl's hands moved from under her head to rub at her eyes and nose, her lips smacking together tiredly as she slowly woke up a bit. Chat found himself entranced by the slightly wrinkles created at the corners of her eyes when she squeezed them shut tightly, her body struggling against her waking up. A deep breath rattled loudly through her nose; she stirred.

Chat's hands set themselves on either side of her, and he leaned up a bit to stare at the sleeping girl. One hand lifted to pat her cheek. "Can you hear me?"

Marinette's eyes fluttered halfway open, and she droned out, "I thought I was just dreaming, but you really are in my room in the middle of the night waking me up."

Adrien felt his whole being calm down at the sight of her eyes. He exhaled in relief, sitting down on his knees from his tense position above her. His hand remained on her cheek.

"Is something wrong? Your eyes look… panicked."

Chat opened his mouth to speak, stopping only when Marinette began to move again.

Her hands lazily set themselves in his hair, scratching at it gently before rubbing at his hairline and leaving her hand there, "And you're sweaty. Like… really sweaty."

His heart pounded hard. He shouldn't be here.

"Chat, what's wrong?" she yawned. "Where have you been?"

He laughed softly, taking her hand from her hair and holding it in his own, "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Why haven't you visited? There was an attack…"

He hated himself more for this decision than for any decision he ever had or probably would make.

"Chat, you're starting to freak me out," she whispered, beginning to drift back asleep.

So this was his decision then. Not giving up on her. Fighting for her, staying by her side, never letting Alya take her away from him. It was wrong. It was so wrong.

But if he didn't do it… what would happen to him?

Chat felt tears falling down his cheeks. Just a few, and silent, but still there. His hands brushed at her cheeks again. "I'm so sorry."

She scoffed, "For what, silly?"

"I'm… I'm so selfish. I'm sorry, Marinette. I'm so sorry that I'm so selfish. I shouldn't have come here tonight and woken you up, but I…"

Her laughter cut him off.

"I'm sorry," he said once more, taking his hands away from her.

Marinette was falling asleep again fast, laughing at him still as she dozed off, "You silly kitty."

He smiled kindly at her before he set her hand down and turned to leave. But, her hand moved to brush against his own, her fingers dancing on his knuckles.

"Silly kitty," she whispered again. With her eyes closed, she locked her fingers loosely around his wrist.

Chat knelt back down next to the chaise, whispering, "Do you need something?"

Marinette was basically asleep now and didn't respond to him.

"I'll be going then, Marinette."

"Chat," she breathed out. Her hand lightly dragged itself up his arm and set itself on his shoulder, pulling him down towards her. Her arms slid gently around his neck, continuing to tug him towards her. Not knowing what was happening, Chat went along with it, finding himself immensely surprised when her lips found his for a brief moment.

The first thought that came to his mind was how strange it was to kiss someone on the mouth, as this was his first time. Then, he realized how soft her lips were and how tired she was as those soft lips fell down his chin and back onto the chaise where she slept soundly. Finally, Adrien realized Marinette had just kissed him.


	24. Second Chance?

*A/N Not my characters. You wouldn't believe the week I've had. Also, check out the cool playlist that Windy Head made for me. (I'm going to link it on my profile page because I can't link it here.) It's really rad.*

* * *

Adrien's leg bounced obnoxiously under his desk, and his thumb was stuck in his mouth, teeth biting at the nail tensely as his eyes watched the doorway for any sign of Marinette.

He had barely slept last night, and not because of what had happened with his father, but because of Marinette. The feeling of her mouth against his own had not left his memory just yet, and every couple seconds, he found himself brushing his fingers over his lips where hers had pressed against his so tenderly. Adrien couldn't focus. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. The kiss. So short, and so sweet. The boy smiled to himself. Too short, and too sweet. A kiss so full of fatigue and exhaustion on her part, and panic and confusion on his own.

He feared what he would do the next time she pulled something like that, if she ever did. It probably wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been as tired as she was waiting up for him. His Marinette, waiting up for him. He had needed her so much, and she had been there for him. Did she know how much he had needed her last night? Did she, could she, possibly understand just how much he had fallen in love with her?

Marinette entered the classroom, stretching and yawning. She grimaced and clutched at her neck, and Adrien knew he should have carried her to her bed; the chaise obviously had been uncomfortable.

As cheesy as it felt to him, it was as if everything surrounding the girl was in slow motion. The way her hair bounced in their pigtails as she looked over her shoulder to meet his eyes. Her small, polite smile as she nodded her greeting to him and took her seat. Adrien's heart hurt just looking at her sometimes, and now was one of those times.

"Good morning, Marinette," Adrien blurted out. Then, he spun to face her, feeling the sting begin to spread in his cheeks as he flushed.

The girl jumped a bit in her seat before glancing up to look at him. "Good morning, Adrien. You look tired. Are you okay?"

His mouth fell open, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…"

She giggled at him, shrugging to prompt him to speak.

"I mean, I'm… I'm…." He was very aware of her lips.

"You're fine?"

"Yes, that!" he spat out awkwardly, rubbing at his neck. He laughed a bit forcefully and directed his now widened eyes to look off over her shoulder instead of at her mouth.

Nino and Alya walked in, just in time to see his awkwardness. Alya seemed wary of him, and he wondered if Marinette had said that Chat had visited last night. Adrien prepared himself to feel the wrath that came along with Alya knowing that her best friend had kissed him. Come to think of it, did Marinette even remember him being there? Did she remember kissing him? She was incredibly tired as she did it, having even fallen asleep before it was over.

His eyes fell to her lips once more before he stopped looking at her and twisted in his seat to greet Nino.

* * *

Marinette wondered what was wrong with Adrien. Something seemed… off. She shrugged it off; it wasn't her concern anymore. With a smile to herself, she pulled a notebook out of her bag and prepared for class, eyes darting slyly one more time at Adrien's golden head in front of her.

* * *

Adrien's fingers tapped loudly on his desk as he struggled to focus. The teacher had already called him out a couple times for being disruptive with his noises, but nothing could stop him. His whole being ached to simply be closer to her. His fingers twitched with wanting to hold Marinette's hand or run themselves through her hair. And the teacher thought that by simply telling him to be quiet he could stop that ache? That twitch? That tapping? Sorry, but not possible. Adrien had already tried to stop his hectic movements himself, and if that didn't work, he doubted anything would.

He had already taken too many chances to turn and look at her, so he tried to restrain himself from spinning around once more. Geez, the kiss hadn't even been that long, and she had been half asleep. Why couldn't he stop thinking about it? His fingers touched his lips once more, full with the memory from the previous night. Was Adrien truly this pitiful?

He went home for lunch, but only stared at his food. After a moment of silence, Adrien let out a loud shout, shaking his head back and forth as the groan continued. Once he was done, he grabbed his head and let it fall to his table, breathing out heavily through his nose as his breathing grew uneven.

 _Marinette, Marinette, Marinette_.

She wouldn't get out of his head.

* * *

Marinette was semi-surprised to see a call from Alya while she was eating her lunch at home.

"Marinette, where were you last night?"

"Hi, Alya," she replied with a smile, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could continue eating.

"Hi. So, where were you?"

"At home," Marinette chuckled. Then, her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, "Where else would I have been?"

Alya let out a sigh that sounded like it was full of relief.

"Alya?"

"I just… I was worried about something, but I don't think you would've… never mind," Alya answered. "So, are you still over Adrien?"

Marinette felt her cheeks blush. She sputtered, "What's with all these weird questions? Let's… Let's talk about you and Nino!"

"We're great. There, talk over. So? Adrien?"

"Alya," Marinette giggled, "I'm fine. No need to keep worrying over me, alright?"

Her friend seemed to soften a bit, "You act as if that is easier done than said, girl. The day I stop worrying about you is the day I lie down and die."

"That's a bit dark," Marinette replied.

"But true," Alya pointed out.

With a shrug, Marinette let her voice drop a few tones so she could convey her seriousness. "Listen. Honestly, I just want to be friends with him, Alya. Like I said before, he can't hurt me anymore." Her voice almost betrayed her in the end, but Marinette leveled out her voice so it didn't shake. Her fingers brushed at her throat, confused as to why she would be so nervous.

Alya didn't respond.

"You still there?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm… Yeah, I actually have some homework to catch up on, so… I'll see you at school after the lunch break."

"Okay," Marinette muttered out, still confused. "See you then." She pulled the phone off her shoulder and tapped on the screen to end the call. Her lips pursed, and Marinette set her chin in the palm of her head, staring at her phone in confusion.

"Everything okay?" her mother called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, everything's okay," Marinette responded distantly. What was that about?

* * *

Adrien's phone was resting in the palm of his hand, but the screen was black. It shook slightly in his hand as his eyes scanned the street, waiting for her. He was such a dork, but he really couldn't help it.

With a low sigh, he leaned against the doorframe to the school's entrance, aware that his attempts at looking natural were failing; he just looked like he was waiting for someone. Which he was, but he was really trying to pretend like he wasn't.

He didn't even know what he would do once he did see her, but he just… wanted to see her. He so badly wanted to ask if she remembered their kiss, but obviously he couldn't do that, and if he couldn't even ask that, there was no reason for him to be waiting for her like this. Part of him wanted to transform so he could meet her in her walk back to school and ask her about last night, but he knew he would probably be too flustered to ask a proper question, so maybe this was the best way.

But what was he even doing? This was bizarre, absurd, and crazy in every meaning of the words. Wouldn't she just find it creepy that he, a boy who had turned her down, was waiting outside of the school specifically just so he could be the first one to see her face when she returned from lunch?

His hands were clammy, so he wiped them on his jeans, feeling the anxious tremble in his fingers more than ever.

Adrien was so nervous that he almost missed her coming around the corner to the school's entrance. _Almost._

Marinette halted at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him. Other students re-entered the school around them, but for Adrien, it was as if she was the only other girl standing there. She had paused, as if sensing that he wanted to speak with her. Did she find it weird? That he was there?

 _Quick,_ he told himself. _Say something cool._

He smiled, "Oh, hey." Then, he had to physically hold down his hand so he wouldn't hit himself for saying something so...

"Waiting for someone?" she asked, taking another step up towards him. Her hands held her bag's straps tightly; he could see her knuckles turning white. Maybe she wasn't as calm around him as she had made him believe. Adrien shook out his own hands, so sweaty and gross and shaking like there was no tomorrow.

 _What do I do? Tell the truth? Oh, I was actually waiting for_ you _, Marinette. Argh! Would that be creepy? What would Alya thi…_

He internally pinched himself a couple times to stop that thought. Why did he care what Alya would think? It wasn't her business. It was his. And he had already made the decision last night that there was no turning back now.

"You've been kind of spacey lately," Marinette murmured, stepping up towards him again. Her head tilted to the side as she gazed at him with concern, "Anything I can help you with?"

"I was waiting for you!" he shouted out a bit too forcefully. His eyes kept trying to glance at her lips again, and it was a struggle to not stare at them too hard. He realized the twitch in his fingers was all too visible; he wasn't playing it cool _at all_.

"Oh?" she sputtered out, obviously shocked. Then, to his surprise, she blushed a bit and glanced away from him, twisting her pigtail around a finger before replacing the hand on her backpack strap. "Do you need class notes or the homework or…?"

His mind shot back to their short kiss, and he couldn't stop himself from saying, "Do you want to… go out… sometime?"

It was totally on impulse that he shouted that, and as soon as he did, both of their faces turned a beautiful, bright shade of crimson.

Adrien slammed his hand over his mouth and watched her carefully. He began to stammer out words from behind his hand, apologizing for the offer, trying to take back his unplanned words, but none of the sounds were coherent or understandable.

A student awkwardly shuffled between them to get into the school, causing Marinette and Adrien to break their eye contact and part for a moment. After the student had passed, Adrien dropped his hand and stepped back next to her.

"Marinette, I didn't mean to ask so suddenly, I just…" he stammered, voice trailing off as he realized that she hadn't really been listening to him. In fact, Marinette didn't even seem to notice he had been talking at all.

She stared at him blankly for a long second before her eyes focused on him and she gulped, whispering her answer. "M-maybe."

* * *

 _No._

That's what she should have said. It should have been an easy answer.

 _No, Adrien, you hurt me, and I don't want to let you hurt me anymore._

So why didn't she say it?

 _Maybe._

Marinette startled herself with the answer. What would Chat say? Would he say anything? Would he give Adrien a second chance? Would he be okay with Marinette giving Adrien a second chance? Would he… would he try to stop her from going out with him?

She didn't even know if Chat Noir liked her like that. But here was Adrien, asking her…

Asking her out?

But… hadn't she been…

Didn't he turn her down?

Her heart raced as she bit at her lip, but she didn't change her answer. Instead, she stared at him, accepting the outcome of her reply and awaiting his response.

* * *

Adrien returned her stare in shock for a moment before a grin broke out across his face. It was too big of a grin for the situation, and he could see the concern and amusement in Marinette's eyes at his joyed expression. All he could think was one thing.

It wasn't a no.

It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no, either. It could all work out for him… maybe. Maybe. If she said yes. If he earned her forgiveness. If he found a way to reveal himself as Chat Noir without her hating him for everything. He smacked his leg hard once to refocus himself. When he thought that far in the future, it all seemed too impossible to work out. He wanted to focus on the now, the now where Marinette gave him another chance.

He cleared his throat, "Really?" That made her smile a bit, so Adrien grinned again and stood up straighter and stiller. "Uh… I guess I could…"

"Want me to just," Marinette shook a bit, "text you or something?"

"Yeah! I mean," Adrien calmed himself down. "Yes, yes, that would be… so cool."

Marinette suddenly had a wide smile on her face, "It… it would. I will."

"Do you have my number?" Adrien asked pulling something out to write down his number.

"Yup! Yes," Marinette squealed, "I… I have your number." She forced a laugh and rubbed at the back of her head, looking off to the side with wide eyes.

Adrien didn't remember ever giving it to her, but at this point, he didn't care how she had gotten it. She had his number, and he had a chance.

"Marinette?" Alya called out behind them inside the school.

Both Adrien and Marinette spun around to face Alya.

Alya's face and voice dropped. "Oh, hi, Adrien."

Adrien fought against his nerves at being caught by Marinette's best friend, offering a small wave so as not to risk his voice trembling.

"You two are going to be late to class," Alya told them. After one more quick look at the both of them, she rushed back to the classroom, prompting the both of them to do the same.


	25. Frozen

*A/N I don't own these characters. Back at it again with the late night updates, sorry.

* * *

Marinette, much to her surprise, realized that the grin on her face had been sincere and very real. Adrien's genuine overjoyed expression over her ridiculously ambiguous answer had made her smile like this, and her fingers brushed at her cheeks as she took a side peek at Adrien. He offered her a side smile that made her stomach sink. Her heart was fluttering, but her stomach was twisting uncomfortably? What was this feeling? Marinette bit her lip and looked away from Adrien as she realized. Oh.

It was guilt.

She sighed internally, _Chat._

Of course, she couldn't hang out with Adrien.

What would Chat Noir say?

Her fingers clutched at her bag straps as she hurried to class next to Adrien, that horrible sick feeling beginning to fill her up to the brim. She tried to remain friendly with Adrien throughout the day, so as not to hurt his feelings, but it was harder than she thought it would be. Every time she felt like smiling at him, Chat's face appeared in her mind. She knew they weren't even close to being together in _that_ way, but… weren't they… special somehow?

Her life got especially hard once class was out. Marinette couldn't sneak out of school fast enough, and Alya caught up to her fast.

"He asked you out?"

"Oh, Nino told you?" Marinette muttered, blushing deeply. She spun around on the steps to look at Alya guiltily. She rubbed at her head, trying to seem innocent and cute, but she knew it didn't work when Alya grabbed her arm and tugged her to the side so they could speak more privately.

Alya scoffed, "Like I needed his help anyways. It was so obvious when I found you two just standing there so close chatting it up." Then, she focused again, "Did he really ask you out on a date?"

"To _go_ out, Alya. There's… there's a difference!" Marinette argued pitifully.

"You can't go out with him," Alya said as she shook her head. "Marinette, he's going to just hurt you again."

"Adrien… isn't like that."

"Oh, trust me, girl. I know a whole lot about him that you…"

"I think I just flustered him before," Marinette interrupted, not wanting to hear any more of what Alya was telling her. "You know, when I sort of asked him out. He probably just didn't know how to answer me when I asked him, like, that _suddenly_!"

Alya let out a harsh laugh, "Marinette, I don't think…"

"Besides, I was planning on telling him we're just friends anyways, so there's really nothing for you to worry about, okay?" Marinette said, a bit too harshly. She was tired of Alya barging into her life like this. She knew Adrien hurt her. She knew that. She would never forget that.

The fact of the matter was that Marinette felt she had genuinely moved on. She really believed that she was over Adrien because she had chosen Chat. Whoever he was under that mask, she knew that she had a deeper bond with him than her and Adrien would ever have. Alya needed to understand that.

Her friend gave her a skeptical look. "So, you turned him down, then?"

"I… Not exactly…" Marinette mumbled into her shoulder, hoping Alya wouldn't hear.

"Marinette…"

"No, no, no! Because you see, I said _maybe_ ," Marinette answered happily. "Not _yes_!"

Alya looked at her, dully.

"And _then_ I said I would text him."

There was a long pause, followed by Alya raising her hands up in questioning and asking, "Which means…?"

"I don't know how you want me to answer, Alya," Marinette groaned.

"What are you going to do? You didn't tell him no, and you didn't tell him yes."

"I just," Marinette struggled, then squeaked out anxiously, "won't ever text him."

"Marinette," Alya gasped, "that's awful."

"Well, what's your brilliant idea?!"

Her friend stayed quiet for a long moment.

Marinette watched her intensely.

Finally, Alya answered, "Not that."

"Great. Thanks."

"Marinette, don't… How about you… Why not just…"

Alya stopped talking after it was clear she had no other plans, and the two of them stood in silence. Marinette glared at her feet, digging her toes into the ground. Then, her eyes sneakily peeked over Alya's shoulder, at where Nino and Adrien were waving their goodbyes to each other. He didn't see her. She looked back down at her feet and clasped her hands in front of her.

"What if I hung out with him just once?" she whispered.

Alya's mouth dropped open. "Uh… how about you don't do that?!"

"Why not?" Marinette whined, looking up at Alya. "Then, I could just say, _Oh, I love hanging out with friends. We're just friends. I love being friends_. _Friends, friends, friends!_ Right?! Brilliant plan!"

"Marinette, that's… it's not a brilliant plan. It's a… I don't know, a dangerous plan," her friend argued.

Marinette insisted, "It'd just be as friends!"

Alya grunted, crossing her arms, "Ha. Yeah. For _you_."

"Why don't you believe me? I could hang out with Adrien as just friends! And you know, maybe I will. Even if it's only to make you believe me for once!" Marinette snapped, crossing her arms, too.

Both of them stayed in that angry stance, angrily staring over their shoulders in opposite directions, refusing to speak to one another.

Alya broke the silence. "I'm sorry."

"I am, too."

"You know," the girl started, "it's not you I have these trust issues with."

Marinette blushed, "It's fine."

Both remained silent for a moment before Alya stomped her foot suddenly, turning to where Adrien's car had been, "Aren't you just wondering… Never mind."

Marinette took a step around Alya so that she was in her friend's line of vision. "Do I wonder what?"

"Aren't you wondering why he asked you?" Alya asked, sounding regretful.

Marinette's eyes widened. "N-no."

She really didn't want to think about the fact that Adrien might have, probably had, a crush on her. If she did think that…

Oh, geez, now she was thinking about that.

"Are you thinking about it now, girl?" Alya sighed. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No!" Marinette squealed. "Ha, _ha_. I'm not thinking about it!" She could smack herself over how bad of a liar she was.

"Good. Don't think about that," Alya muttered to herself. Then, she glanced up at Marinette with a half-smile. "Do you want to hang out tonight?"

"I've got a ton of homework," Marinette pouted, her hand gesturing to the heavy backpack on her shoulders.

Alya nodded reluctantly, "Okay. Just make sure you _do your homework_."

"I will?"

"I'll just see if Nino maybe wants to do something," Alya said, seeming to chill out a bit. She smiled largely.

"See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

As she watched Alya go, the girl bit at her fingernails anxiously. Marinette knew the real reason she had turned down Alya's offer to hang out, and she wasn't proud of it.

* * *

"A bit early in the night for a rendez-vous. Don't you think, Chat Noir?" Marinette smiled as she stepped up onto her terrace, crossing her arms across her body to hold in the warmth.

Marinette had been up there in a moment, which made Chat Noir wonder if she had been waiting at the window, watching for his silhouette to appear on the rooftops.

He held his breath, before whispering, "I couldn't wait any longer."

"What did you say?" she asked over the chilly wind, stepping closer to him.

Chat offered her a mischievous grin before hopping up on the railing, as if to leave. "I can come back later, if you'd like," he teased.

Marinette rushed up to him, setting a hand lightly on his boot, "No, no. It's fine. Just stay."

Chat looked over his shoulder at her with a smirk, "If you insist, princess."

She blushed and removed her hand, stepping back. The wind caught some of her loose hairs and brushed them into her face. Marinette pushed them back into place, her eyes sliding towards his every couple seconds, the blush on her cheeks only deepening with each secret glance.

Chat stayed crouched on the railing, peering at her intently. Did she remember that she had kissed him? And would it be okay to ask her? He needed to top staring at her. Maybe one second more. A shiver shook her body, and Marinette had tried to hide it. But he noticed. Only because he was being creepy and staring at her so intensely.

"Cold?" he asked, voice sounding strained. He was trying so hard to force himself to glance away, just for one minute. Her blue eyes had him hooked.

She looked up at him with a half-smile, "Want to go inside?"

"It is early," Chat stated, repeating her words from early. "Won't your parents…"

"It's fine," Marinette said. Her expression towards him was so beautiful, so pure, that Adrien began to feel guilty again for how he was acting. But Marinette was so alluring and perfect, that Adrien found his desire to be around her a stronger feeling than his conscience, a fact he knew he would regret later.

Marinette led him, as she had so many times before, into her room. She kept walking, settling down on the edge of her chaise. Chat stayed standing, glancing around her room, looking anywhere but at her, in order to restrain himself from wanting to kiss her again.

The question was on his lips, and he needed to ask it now before he lost his nerve or thought too hard about it. The question he wanted so desperately to know the answer to.

"Do you… like anyone?" he asked softly. His chin was set on his shoulder that was facing away from her.

He couldn't see her, but Marinette was scarily silent.

Chat glanced at her for a moment, just enough to see her shrug, and then he peered away, glaring hard at his shoes. A bit dissatisfied with the answer, he took one step towards her. He blew air into his cheeks and let it out loudly through his mouth.

"Hey, Chat."

His eyes shot up to her. She had sat back farther on the chaise, curled up on herself, staring at him with wide blue eyes.

"Oh, you looked at me!" she pointed at him with a grin. Then, her face dropped a bit, "Is something wrong?"

* * *

Chat immediately looked away but continued to walk closer before he knelt on the ground next to her, his gloved hands feeling the edge of the chaise nervously.

"Hey," Marinette whispered, starting to get worried. Her fingers itched when she saw how close his hand was. Would it be wrong to grab it? She blinked hard before looking at him again. "Chat, hey, what's wrong?"

"Do you like someone?"

So that had been what he had asked before. She thought she had misheard. What a question for him to be asking her right now. With a long groan, Marinette slammed her head into the back of the chaise. It hit the wooden part of the furniture, and she released a yelp of pain, half grunt and half gasp, and grabbed at her head.

Chat's lip twitched a bit in amusement, but he barely met her eye and seemed to really want an answer.

Marinette grumbled for a moment before admitting, "I'm so confused, Chat."

"How so?"

"You remember…" she trailed off.

"Adrien," he answered for her when her silence when on for a moment too long.

"I was in love with him," Marinette admitted. She rolled herself into a tight ball, peering at him from over her knees. Embarrassed; she felt embarrassed.

Chat didn't respond. Marinette felt her heart tighten. Her and Chat had avoided these talks for so long. Why did he bring it up? Why did she let him? Why did she just admit that to him?

Her nervousness and embarrassment caused her to keep talking. "I was so in love with him, and he turned me down, and I was fine."

Chat seemed to perk up a bit, only a bit. His voice was still soft as he asked, "And?"

"He… kind of asked me out today," Marinette muttered, sinking lower into the chaise, rubbing at her arms. Her eyes focused on the view outside her window, barely noticing Chat moving a bit closer to her.

"You said yes?"

"I don't know!" she cried, frustrated and even more embarrassed over herself and her actions. Her hands covered her eyes. "I… I didn't give an answer."

"Why not? This is the boy you loved? Don't you still want him at all?" Chat's voice was so gentle and quiet that Marinette had to strain to hear his words.

Her hands flopped down on either side of the chaise, and she exhaled, "N-no. I mean, I don't know. I don't know what I want anymore." Marinette rolled over so that her face was stuck in the cushions. She mumbled, muffled by the cushions, "I shouldn't be even considering Adrien as an option because of what he did to me in the past, but… I don't know, he… he seemed so happy today when he saw me."

Sensing Chat growing ever closer to her, she dared to peek her head out again. Chat Noir had straightened up, now towering over her though he was only kneeling. Marinette felt small as she twisted onto her side, gazing back up at him.

"I just don't want to be confused anymore, you know?" she whispered, setting her fingers close to his.

"I know," he murmured.

Quickly, impulsively, Marinette sat up, still a bit hunched over, but now closer to him. She leaned forward a bit, hitting her shoulder against his jokingly. Their eyes met, but neither said a word. Then, her eyes darted down to watch as Chat intertwined his fingers with her, but she could feel his gaze never leaving her face. Lifting her eyes back up to his, she turned her face a little. As if knowing she would do that, Chat bent forward to brush his lips against her cheek.

Marinette froze.

Chat pulled away, looking so calm, though Marinette could feel his fingers tighten over hers.

He looked like he loved her, but that thought scared her.

Her eyes darted over his expression twice more before they landed on his lips, and she felt dizzy. Her breathing picked up as she felt him lean slightly towards her. His lips parted. Was he going to say something or was he going to kiss her? Marinette didn't know. She didn't know what was happening. Her heart pounded, and she squeezed his fingers hard, causing Chat to stop where he was. He frowned slightly before he twisted himself around her to kiss her cheek again. Not a slight brush of the lips this time. A real kiss.

Chat Noir leaned away, though he was still close enough that the air from his nose lightly hit her cheek where he had just kissed her. Marinette did not move her from her position, her chin almost resting on his shoulder. Then, Chat set his forehead against her cheek, sitting still for a moment before lifting away from her.

Her hand suddenly shot up to her cheek, accidentally swatting Chat's still-close face as her fingers frantically reached up to skim over her burning skin. Chat grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed Marinette away from him, his own cheeks burning and his eyes wide as he searched her face for some sort of reaction. Marinette's gaze fell from his as her mouth fell open.

"I… I'm sorry," Chat hissed. "I didn't mean to… frighten you! It's just…"

Marinette finally let her hand drop from her cheek.

"We already kissed, so I thought you…"

Her mouth snapped shut, and her eyes found his instantly.

"I thought you would let me kiss you again."

Marinette struggled to focus her thoughts on any one thing. The tingling in her cheek, his hand back on top of hers, his eyes searching her face so intently.

 _Who is he?_ she thought.

The suddenness of the question shocked her.

Chat's shoulders drooped forward, as he sighed out brokenly, "You… you don't remember, do you?"

"We… didn't," Marinette stammered out weakly. "We didn't kiss…"

"No," he argued. "No, we did. Please, don't try and say we didn't. It's okay for you not to remember, but _I_ know we did."

She couldn't respond. How could she? What would be the right thing to say?

Chat scooted back from the chaise, lifting his hand off of hers. "Are you angry with me?"

Her fingers rubbed over her cheek once more, her body trembling against her will. Was she? Too many thoughts were running through her head for her to know if she was angry with him or not, though, she doubted she was. She missed the presence of his hand on hers. His lips had been so soft. His chest was rising and falling fast, as if he was as breathless as she was. Was she angry? "Uh…"

"I'm sorry. I'll… I should leave again, shouldn't I?"

Marinette stood up suddenly, "I don't think… I'm not angry with you."

Chat followed suit, standing up and leaning over her, his eyes gazing into her so deeply that it made Marinette want to collapse against him. His arms were just barely lifted off of his sides; she could easily slide her arms under his and hug him right now, if she wanted to. Her cheek was still burning. She really wanted to.

She remembered Adrien's smile.

"I'm really confused right now," she whispered. Her body was starting to lean towards him. Not good.

Chat smiled kindly. "And I'm not helping anything. I understand."

"No, Chat, wait…"

"I'll see you soon, Marinette," he told her, beginning to walk away.

She spun fast, arms outreached for him, "Just one minute!"

He was up the ladder and gone in a second. He wasn't angry, that much Marinette could tell. At least, he wasn't angry with her. He seemed upset in a different way.

It was only after a couple minutes of quiet that Tikki spoke, breaking Marinette from her staring match with the terrace door.

"Marinette."

"I know what you're going to say, Tikki," the girl sighed, eyes glued to that dumb door. Chat wasn't coming back. Not tonight. She turned around and sat on one of the rungs of the ladder that led up to her bed. "But I can't tell him that I remember that kiss."

Tikki hovered in front of her with crossed arms and a pout on her face.

"I can't start anything right now. Not with whatever is going on with Adrien…"

"I thought you had moved on from Adrien," her kwami pointed out.

Too many words filled Marinette's mouth at once, and she couldn't form a sentence, only managing to say, "Yes, but…"

"But… you haven't?"

"No! I… I have! It's just… I don't even know if Chat likes me like that!"

"Oh, Marinette," Tikki groaned into her hands.

The girl held out her hands for the kwami to nestle into. As Tikki settled into the palm of her hand, Marinette muttered, "I don't want more things to go wrong. I already messed up so much by accidentally kissing him that night."

"Why not just tell Chat how you feel? I'm sure he'd understand. Maybe he could help you sort through all of this," Tikki offered, hugging Marinette's thumb.

"I can't! Adrien asked me out, sort of, and I… I can't just…"

"Enough excuses, Marinette! You need to take action. Things will only get more confusing if you let this continue on!" Tikki argued, shaking Marinette's thumb a bit in frustration.

"Take action," Marinette thought aloud.

"Yes!" Tikki smiled.

"Just… make a move?"

"Yes, Marinette!"

Marinette held her breath for a long time before crying out, "I can't, Tikki! I don't want to get turned down again. Especially not from someone like Chat."

The kwami frowned.

Marinette looked up with a half-smile, "Can you blame me for wanting to be careful?"

Tikki rushed up to Marinette's cheek and set her hands on it, "I'm sorry, Marinette." Marinette took the kwami in her hands and kissed her head. After a short giggle, Tikki said, "Maybe you should get some rest for tonight. It might help you clear your head, feel better, and…"

Marinette laughed, cutting off the kwami, "I'd love to do that Tikki, but…" With a forlorn look, Marinette sadly looked at her large stack of unfinished homework sitting on her desk.


	26. Jealousy and Wishes

*A/N Not my characters. Geez, Louise, it's been a long week. Disclaimer: This chapter is probably riddled with grammar mistakes. Forgive me.

* * *

The next day, Marinette kept her head down on her desk for most of school, successfully avoiding any conversation from Alya or Adrien, or anyone else for that matter. She went home that night, and, though she knew it was still early and light out, she transformed and started to patrol, angry with herself for hoping that Chat Noir would somehow find her.

* * *

Adrien was _very_ aware that Alya was glaring at him. Almost as aware of that as he was of Marinette and the fact that her head hadn't left the desk since she sat down. It was his totally fault, wasn't it? He wondered if he would ever stop messing everything up.

A reveal would be the best thing at this moment. Just telling her everything he knew, everything he was, and getting it all on the table so that her confusion, and his own, would stop. But he… he didn't want to do that. It seemed like Adrien might have a chance. At least, the way Marinette had spoken about him last night made it seem like there were still some feelings for him there, or maybe it was just wishful thinking. If he revealed himself too soon, Marinette might not forgive him as easily or ever. The thought pained him to the core. So Adrien's selfishness took over, and he decided that he wouldn't tell her the truth just yet.

He returned home after school feeling exhausted, but not tired enough to ignore the fact that he had patrol tonight. Adrien transformed and hurried out along the rooftops of Paris, well aware that it was still light enough out that people might see him. That problem seemed miniscule at the moment; all he wanted to do was clear his head and have some alone time. A smile crossed his face, knowing that he didn't just want alone time. He would prefer to have some Ladybug time, but he doubted that she would be out tonight.

"Hey, Chat Noir! Care to give an interview to a simple blogger?" a voice called out, a bit sassily.

Chat paused on the roof and peered down to see Alya, standing next to her bicycle, waving up at him. He grimaced at the thought of what a conversation with her would hold, but nevertheless, the hero hurried down from the roof to a side street where they could talk more privately. Alya was there in a moment, setting her bike aside. Chat braced himself, hands raised to block any sudden movements.

Alya looked up at him from where she stood, pursing her lips as her arms crossed. Suddenly ashamed over his raised arms, he chuckled awkwardly and lowered them to his sides.

"You wanted an interview?" he asked, trying to joke to lighten the mood.

Her eyes rolled, "So, I'm just wondering why you thought after all I told you it would be okay to ask Marinette out yesterday?"

"It was total impulse," Chat responded, scratching at his chin embarrassedly.

"Did she text you?"

Chat's eyebrows turned downwards, upset. "No."

Alya let out a breath of relief, "Good."

"She…" Chat stopped himself.

"She what?" Alya's mouth dropped open. "Did you visit her _again_?"

"No," Chat lied smoothly. "No, I was going to say she seems confused."

 _Nice save, Adrien_ , he told himself.

"Well, no doubt, Sherlock. Who wouldn't be confused over all of this insanity?" Alya hissed, pushing her her glasses and leaning against the wall of the building. She was a different type of upset today, like she was more open or something like that. Chat felt safer talking with her today than usual.

"Alya, can I ask you something?"

The girl looked confused for a moment, but she eventually sighed, "Why not?"

"Hy…hypothetically, say that you didn't hate me…"

She gave a short, breathy laugh before telling him, "I don't _hate_ you, Adrien. I was just angry that day, and I really think you're making a lot of mistakes concerning my best friend." Alya gulped, looking up at him sadly, "I mean, she was crying really hard, Adrien. I can't just easily forgive someone for that, especially when _after_ they made her sob like that they kept pursuing her. It was bad enough when you went after her as Chat Noir, but now as Adrien?"

"That's… kind of my question. Do you think there's any way… any way at all to fix this?" Chat asked.

This isn't how Adrien had hoped one of his friends would discover him. Upon discovering his secret identity, he had hoped that they would be his new confidant and best friend. He had wanted to be able to confide in the person, talk about how cool his powers were, talk about Ladybug. Maybe if he hadn't hurt Marinette, this strange relationship with Alya would be different. But this is what he had, and since Nino, and certainly Marinette, couldn't find out about his secret, Alya was this person for him now, his best bet at guidance.

Too bad she didn't really seem to be in the helping mood at the moment.

"Adrien, I don't…"

"Hypothetically," he begged. Stepping forward, he set a hand on her shoulder, "Please."

Alya looked like she was already forgiving him. Maybe he was dreaming it, but her features seemed to soften. She patted the hand on her shoulder and said, "It's going to be hard."

Chat reached up his other hand to grab both of her shoulders excitedly. "Does this mean you're going to help me?"

Alya accidentally let a laugh escape. She grew serious in a second, saying, "You're too hopeful. Of course I won't."

"But, why…"

"If you want to fix this, it needs to be you," Alya told him. "I'm not meddling."

Chat tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"And before you stupidly ask me this, _no_ , I'm definitely not going to talk you up to Mar…"

"Chat Noir! There you are! I've been looking for you."

Alya's eyes shot up over Chat's shoulder to the roof. Her face broke into a large smile, and she shouted, "Ladybug!"

* * *

Ladybug watched as Chat Noir slowly turned to gaze at her. His smile grew large when their eyes met. She worked hard to tame her churning stomach; just the sight of his smile made her cheeks burn.

"My lady! I was wondering when we would meet again," he grinned.

Ladybug's eyes suddenly narrowed. Why were his hands still clutching at Alya's shoulders? What was Alya doing with Chat Noir anyways?

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she smirked. She slung her yoyo around the fire escape across from her and threw herself off of the building, landing softly on the ground next to the pair. She was pleased to see Alya push Chat's hands from her shoulders as she stood up and retracted her yoyo string. "This is Alya, right? Nice to see you again."

Alya's mouth opened and closed quickly, "H-hi, Ladybug! Good to see you again, too."

Ladybug offered a slightly forced smile before she stepped up next to Chat, placing herself between him and Alya. "Hey, wanna get going?" she asked, letting her hand linger on his arm for a second too long to seem natural.

"Well, I was just having a little interview with Paris' favorite blogger! Can I catch up with you at the usual spot in a few minutes?" he said with a happy look over her shoulder towards Alya, who appeared to be typing every single detail on this interaction furiously on her phone.

Ladybug didn't answer her partner with words, instead opting to use a mighty glare to try and portray how Chat's idea made her feel. He winked in response, only managing to enrage her further.

Quickly, the spotted hero spun to face Alya with another massive and totally fake grin, "We'll be going now! Great to see you, Miss Alya!"

"Wait, what?" Chat pouted.

Ladybug grabbed his arm tightly, giving one more sneer to Alya before she dragged him off a couple feet and then shot away with her yoyo, a black cat in tow.

* * *

Once they were a great distance away from Alya, Ladybug finally loosened her grip around Chat's waist, her hand dragging across his back as she moved away from him. He took a moment to peer around at the newly dark sky swimming with bright stars. Then, his glance shot back to Ladybug. Part of him was irritated that she had taken him away from Alya when he was just starting to make progress on the whole situation, but how could Chat be angry at the amazing girl standing across from him?

He gave Ladybug a large grin, "A bit jealous, my lady?" He watched her try and act annoyed with him.

"More like irritated that I had to cover most of your patrol while you were flirting with the paparazzi," Ladybug finally countered sassily. She set her hands on her hips and took a few more steps away from him.

Chat couldn't help but laugh; watching her be this jealous was way too amusing. Ladybug didn't really seem to find it funny, though, and she stayed facing away from him for a moment until he finally stopped his chuckling. For a few seconds, the only sound between the two of them was the gusts of wind that picked up Ladybug's pigtails and caused them to sway in the breeze, entrancing Chat Noir for the brief time before she spun back to face him.

"Do you two meet often?" she asked. He was impressed that she genuinely had wiped all signs of jealously from her face in that quick, quiet instant.

"Not as often as I meet with someone else."

Ladybug grew tense.

He bowed deeply, looking at the ground to hide his grin. "I meant you, Ladybug."

 _Not as much as you, Marinette,_ he thought in his head.

There was no answer, but Chat Noir wasn't worried.

His eyes glanced up at her from his bow, watching her cheeks turn red. Straightening up a bit, Chat stated, "It has been a while since we've seen each other." He watched her feet twist, as if trying to dig into the roof.

She mumbled, "Yes."

Chat had to, again, wipe the smile from his face. "Though, I feel like I see you all the time. We are simply meant to be." He chanced a step towards her.

She didn't seem to mind his closer proximity. She even faced him, falling back into their old banter easily, "You wish, kitty."

"Wishes are for people who aren't certain."

"Oh, and what are you?"

"I'm _paws_ -itive that we're destined…" Her laughter cut him off, causing him to chuckle a bit, too. Dropping his act for a moment, he pointed out accusingly, "You set me up for that one."

"You're an endless supply of rotten jokes, aren't you?"

Chat slid up next to her, nudging her shoulder with his playfully. "Don't act so surprised, Mar… _my lady_!" He began to sweat a bit, but continued talking rapidly to play off his name slip, "Just now realizing my plethora of jokes? Surely you know me better than that after all our time together."

Ladybug kept laughing, rising a finger to flick the bell at his collar as she sputtered out, "Your puns never cease to a- _paw_ -l me."

Chat cringed.

"Oh, the cat doesn't like it when he gets a taste of his own medicine," she grinned, settling down a bit.

He recovered fast, "On the contrary, it only makes me believe even more that you and I are soul mates."

Ladybug gave him a mighty eye roll, taking a step away. "And you believe this on account of poorly made cat puns?"

He was so scared she was going to zoom away again, start their little chase for the millionth time. He didn't want that. He wanted her to stay like this. It had been so long since he had seen Marinette like this. He loved her no matter what persona she was, but she acted more confident as Ladybug. It was a side of her that he wished she showed more as her civilian self. Through his visits, he was seeing more and more of Ladybug in Marinette and vice versa. It made him fall for her even more.

"On more than that, Ladybug," he said softly.

Ladybug gave a sarcastic laugh, continuing to the edge of the roof and sitting down. Without looking back at him, she patted the seat next to her. His expression brightened, and he hurried to her side. He must've sat a bit too close because she raised a finger and pushed on his nose, causing him to scoot back.

"You're eager tonight," Ladybug observed.

"I missed you," he answered easily, slinging his leg over the edge and leaning back on his elbows.

She looked at her hands in her lap, "I missed you, too, Chat."

The words filled his heart with warmth.

"We should meet up more often," he tried to suggest casually.

"I can't."

"Why?" Chat asked, upset with her quick response. He knew that he would still see her often as Marinette, but why had Ladybug answered this way so swiftly and wish such assurance? Didn't she want to be around him?

* * *

"Uh… I have homework," Ladybug answered unconvincingly. Her eyes peered at Chat nervously, watching him squirm with a question obviously on his lips. Was he really too scared to ask it? Weren't they close enough by this point that he could just say it, whatever it was?

She turned to face him, crossing her legs so that her knee brushed against his. Her elbows rested against her legs, her chin set in her palms as she stared at him. "What is it, Chat?"

Chat blushed immensely. He knocked the heel of his leg that was over the edge against the building anxiously before he gulped, sitting up from his elbows, leaning equally as close to her. He whispered, "I've been wondering about your crush from before… what ever happened to him?"

For some reason, the question did not take her by surprise. Instead, it made her want to grab Chat's face with her hands and set her forehead against his. She tightened her hands into fists to avoid from doing that.

 _He's no one_ , she thought to herself as she found herself staring into Chat's sincere eyes. She wanted to tell him that it was him she liked, that Adrien didn't matter anymore. But something stopped her. Was it, dare she think it, feelings for Adrien? Was it her embarrassment over her newfound love for her partner? Either way, she couldn't say anything. The words were lodged in her throat, refusing to be spoken at this moment.

Chat's gaze never wavered, though Marinette found herself begging her eyes to look anywhere but into his. His stare made her heart pound so hard she feared it would overwork itself.

"He, uh…"

Her partner leaned closer to her.

Ladybug felt her cheeks redden. Was he aware of how attractive he was this close?

* * *

Chat loved watching her cheeks flush on his account. He felt her bending towards him as he was towards her. She liked him. She had to.

"Do you like someone else now?" he found himself asking, glad that her blue eyes hadn't yet left his gaze.

Ladybug's mouth opened and stayed just like that; no words came out.

Chat smirked, and that one look from him changed her whole attitude.

Ladybug snapped out of whatever weird trance she had been in and offered a smirk of her own back to him. "I'm much too good for any boy I've met so far, Chat. The fact that I thought he was for me is preposterous."

"Oh."

Her eyes told him a different story. He could see the hurt he had caused her still evident in them, accompanied by confusion and, strangely enough, confidence. Just then, moonlight hit her face at just the right angle, making her eyes sparkle. He was dazed by the sight, unable to stop himself from thinking about just how much he loved her. His head grew dizzy as she slightly tilted her face to look at him with concern.

"Chat, are you okay?" she giggled.

The words spilled from his mouth clumsily, "Ladybug, I lo…" Her hand slapped itself over his mouth. His head cleared just a bit as he focused on the now desperate look in her eyes. Good or bad? He couldn't figure it out. Was this good or bad?

 _C'mon, Adrien, did you mess up or not?_ he growled internally, too hyper aware of her hand against his mouth to focus on answering his own question.

"We need to finish patrol! I don't know about you, but I've got a ton of homework tonight."

"Sounds like the perfect set up for a study date, my lady," he joked as he pulled her hand from his face and kissed it gently.

She stood up, still blushing a lot, and replied, "Not tonight, silly kitty."

He stared up at her, trying to ask her with his expression to stay a bit longer. She seemed to debate it for a moment, but Chat knew she was leaving him again.

"U-until tomorrow!" she smiled, saluting at him.

Then, Ladybug was off.

Chat leaned back on his elbows again, watching her go. Once she was out of sight, he fell onto his back with a dreamy sigh, staring up at the stars. One shot across the sky, and excitement swelled up inside of him at the sight. A shooting star meant a wish, right? His eyes glanced at where he had last seen his lady before he grinned to himself, thinking of what he wanted more than anything.

 _I wish Marinette can somehow find it in her heart to forgive me_.

Then, Chat closed his eyes and rested a few minutes before he hurried to finish his rounds and get home to do his schoolwork.


	27. Words He'd Never Heard

*A/N Not my characters. Hey, how's it going?

* * *

Marinette knew she was acting strange. Well, stranger than usual. Her face was too smiley, and her movements were a bit too jumpy and spastic, but she couldn't stop herself from trying to seem like everything was normal. She had thought everything was going great. Then, Adrien had to go and ask her out, and every time she opened her phone, a part of her wondered if she should text him. And every time she wondered if she should text him, she remembered the warmth of Chat Noir's lips on her cheek and the feeling in her stomach each time she started walking towards her with that look in his eyes.

"Hey," Alya called out to her, pulling Marinette from her thoughts.

With a wide smile, she glanced up, "Yeah?"

"Are we still on for tonight?" Alya asked.

"Wh-what?"

"I was going to come over to study."

"Oh! Right! Yeah, of course!"

Marinette had completely forgotten about Alya coming over to hang out and study. She prayed, for the first time ever, that Chat Noir would _not_ show up on her terrace that night.

Marinette stood outside of the school, waiting for Alya to finish her conversation with Nino before they walked home. She spaced out, not realizing that her eyes were following Adrien as soon as he appeared, starting down the steps to his ride. Something made him look up and at her. Their eyes met; both their faces were completely expressionless for a second as they recognized the other's stare.

Then, Adrien peered around, maybe for Alya, before making his way to Marinette. She thought that maybe she should feel annoyed that he wouldn't leave her alone like this, but instead, her heart fluttered for a second. Her hand tightened around her backpack strap.

"Hey, Marinette. You have a second?"

"Hi, Adrien," she said with a nod. "What's up?"

He let out a breath before giving her an embarrassed frown, "I need to apologize for my actions. I… I really put you on the spot the other day."

Marinette blushed, "Oh, no! You don't have anything to apologize for! I was going to text you, but then…"

"It's fine," he brushed aside her comments.

The feeling of guilt in her stomach was immense. She was about to speak when Alya showed up over Adrien's shoulder. He didn't notice her and kept speaking.

"You don't have to feel pressured to do anything you don't want to do, and I should've made that more clear or asked you less forcefully or… something different," Adrien turned pink and grinned at her kindly. "See you later?"

"Y-yeah!" Marinette sputtered out, turning her body to follow him as he left.

Alya suddenly shouted, "Bye, Adrien!"

He spun and smiled at Alya kindly before entering his car and leaving school.

Marinette stared at the ground for a moment, composing herself before looking at Alya. "Shall we?"

Alya gave her a nod, and the two started off.

* * *

"Geez, Marinette! It's like you haven't been paying attention all year! We learned about this just last week!"

Marinette gave a sheepish smile, "Ha ha?"

Alya grabbed her head with a sigh, "You're hopeless."

They both laughed.

"How's Nino?" Marinette asked with an eyebrow raise.

With a roll her of eyes, her friend responded, " _Fine_."

She knew that Alya just meant she didn't want to talk about her personal love life, but for some reason, Marinette felt a bit jealous and angry. She knew that she was probably exaggerating, but she felt as if Alya was hiding something from her. The way her friend had been talking with Chat and now how Adrien had smiled so warmly at her… it made her wonder if there was something up?

"So, are you and Adrien good friends? I never realized," Marinette murmured. She flipped a page of her textbook to make it seem more of a casual question rather than the heavy subject it felt like.

Alya shrugged, "He's Nino's best friend."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at her homework in front of her, "Do you guys hang…"

She stopped speaking because she had noticed something outside. From the corner of her eye, Marinette saw him. Chat Noir. He was visible through her window, crouching on the roof across from her home. Her heart rate increased to unsafe levels, and she shot up from her position on the ground a bit too forcefully to be discrete.

Luckily, Alya was facing away from the window and too absorbed in her homework to notice Chat Noir _or_ Marinette.

Glaring at the superhero through the window, Marinette began to subtly shake her head.

Alya was very interested in her notebook, "What were you saying?"

"Huh?" Marinette asked, distracted.

Chat was smiling deviously from the window, acting like he was still going to visit anyways. No, Alya couldn't know about Chat! Marinette widened her eyes as big as they could go and looked at Alya on the ground, trying to make sure he knew that she had company already and would probably skin him if he even _attempted_ coming any nearer.

"You were asking if I hang out with…"

"Oh, right. Well, that's not really important right now. Is that sun annoying you? Let me just get these shades!" Marinette stood up and began to walk to the windows with a clumsy speed.

Her friend mumbled out, "There's no sun out. It's evening."

"Oh, right! Let me just get these shades anyways!"

Alya started to turn around, but Marinette quickly pulled her shades down, sighing in relief that she had gotten there in time. Crisis averted.

"You're acting weird. You've _been_ acting weird!" Alya accused. After a tense moment, she laughed, "Girl, what is up with you?"

"What can I say? Must be the stress of school getting to me," Marinette chuckled a bit forcefully, sitting down by Alya again.

"Maybe if you paid attention," Alya sassed. Then, she hit her pencil on Marinette's textbook, prompting her to focus on schoolwork.

Marinette smacked her lightly while picking up her tablet to work again. That was when she just barely heard the thud on her roof.

 _He wouldn't dare._

Marinette's eyes focused on the trap door by her bed, waiting for him to stick his head through with a cheesy grin. After a moment, she looked away and continued with her work, but her thoughts were stuck on Chat Noir. Knowing he was there, so close, she began to breathe a bit heavier. Things were beginning to get too complicated between them, and she knew it. She had kissed him, he had kissed her… now he was here, and for what? A talk? Was he going to pretend like nothing had happened? Marinette didn't want that.

She didn't want him to start talking with Alya. She didn't want him to act like she and him were only friends. She wanted him to be honest with her, and she wanted to be honest with him. And with herself. She had been a foolish fool lately about her feelings, and it was starting to get her in more complicated issues than she cared to be in.

"Oh, no," Alya suddenly muttered.

"What?" Marinette asked, worried.

"It's gotten really late. I was supposed to…"

"Oh, okay. It's fine!"

"I should go."

Marinette stood up, "I'll walk you to the door."

Alya stood up and gathered her stuff, sliding her bag's strap over her shoulder and pulling her hair out from under it, smiling at Marinette, "All ready."

"Alright," Marinette smiled, letting Alya go to the door first. Her eyes scanned up to the trapdoor from the terrace, and she saw Chat Noir sneak through. Her heart thudded in her chest. "Let's go."

She hugged Alya goodbye and stood at the bottom of the stairs to her room for a long second, her thoughts scattered a millions ways at once. Taking the stairs one at a time and slowly, Marinette let her imagination run wild on all the different ways that this meeting could go down. The ladder to her room was in front of her, and with a sigh, she climbed up and entered, not ready for what was about to happen. She was unsure of exactly what this night held in store, but one thing she was sure of was her feelings for Chat.

So she shut her room's door behind her and looked up to her bed.

* * *

Chat Noir stayed crouched by her bed as he watched her enter the room, and a smile settled on his face. She was going to be so angry with him.

Her voice was dull and tired as she groaned, "Why."

He erupted into a fit of laughter as she walked towards him, glaring up at him from the level below. Her hands were placed on her hips and her head was cocked to the side as she watched him laugh.

"Seriously, why?!" She tried to shout but ended up laughing, too.

"I wanted to visit you. I had no clue Alya would be here," Chat answered. He laughed for a couple moments more. After calming himself down, he looked at Marinette and was shocked to find that she was glancing at the ground, appearing to be a bit upset. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No, I'm glad you're here. It's just… Nevermind. It's nothing," she said, brushing some hair behind her ear with a small, closed-lipped grin.

Chat hopped a couple rungs down the ladder so he was closer to her, grabbing her shoulders so she would look at him, "Hey, hey. Just talk to me, alright? We're closer than that, and you know it." He dropped his hands from her shoulders and watched her intently.

Marinette's eyes focused on his, "You and Alya…"

"Are just good friends," he answered for her, knowing. After all, when she had caught them as Ladybug, he had sensed her discomfort immediately. Chat was glad Marinette had brought it up now; nothing could be misunderstood then.

She leaned on the side of the ladder, facing away from him with a sigh.

Chat didn't know what to say. Was she not buying that he really had no feelings for Alya? It almost made him laugh how Marinette could be so unsure of his feelings even after everything they had been through.

Or did she want to pretend like nothing had happened between them? He needed her to speak first, so he didn't mess up and say something she didn't want to hear.

"Chat, I do remember kissing you that night."

He perked up, looking at the back of her head intensely, begging her silently to spin and look at him.

"I don't know why I did, but I know I did. I didn't want to tell you because…"

He guessed, "You don't want to start something."

"I didn't know how I felt about," she paused a moment. "I had a lot of things happening at once, and I grew overwhelmed. But then…"

Chat took a chance and reached down to take her hand. Relief filled him when she intertwined her fingers more tightly with his.

"I realized that despite those things, I'm most happy when I see you outside my window waiting to come and talk with me," she admitted.

* * *

Marinette was being honest with herself. She wanted to be around Chat. She wanted him to be her best friend, trust in her, like her. She wanted him to know she was his Ladybug. She wouldn't say it yet, but she knew that… that's what she really wanted.

Who would've thought that she would see the day she fell in love with her silly kitty?

Chat tugged on her hand, causing her to face him. In the darkness of her room, his green eyes were the brightest they had ever been.

"Marinette," he whispered.

"I love your friendship," she continued. "I love being around you. I don't want it to stop. I need your friendship. I… I need you, Chat."

Chat took her other hand, and Marinette looked down at their laced fingers.

"I'm still really confused about some things," she admitted, thinking back to Adrien asking her out and…. un-asking her out… "But I know that one thing I'm not confused about is wanting you to be in my life."

Her eyes glanced back at Chat's, and what she saw was so striking it made he want to cry. His wide eyes looked almost like a child's as they brimmed with tears, his mouth a mix between a trembling frown and a smile. He looked vulnerable, and he looked so real in that moment that she couldn't believe her hands were in his.

She desperately wondered, once again, who he was under that mask. Who was this boy who she needed and loved so much?

* * *

"Chat?" she asked softly.

"I'm…" He couldn't speak. He couldn't find the words to express what he was feeling. No one… no one had seemed to want him around this much. He had never truly felt this… wanted, this needed.

Adrien's heart was so full that he felt he might burst.

* * *

Marinette took her hands out of his, "I'm sorry, did I step too far? I just…"

Chat leapt forward and wrapped his arms around her torso, burying his face in her stomach. She was knocked a bit off balance and began to stumble backwards.

"Ch-Chat!" she yelped.

He steadied her, falling to his knees, his face still in her stomach, holding her tightly. His shoulders were scrunched up as his iron grip only grew stronger. She relaxed, her knees knocking together and her hands setting themselves in his wild hair.

"Thank you," she thought she heard him murmur. But she wasn't sure, so she didn't really respond. Instead, Marinette slid to her knees so she could hug him back, moving his head to over her shoulder from her stomach. Gingerly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her, her ear lying on his shoulder. Every so often, he squeezed her tighter, and she wondered if maybe he was crying. She lifted her head from his shoulder to try and look at him.

Chat pulled away at the same time, causing their faces to be mere inches apart. Marinette recognized how tired Chat suddenly look, eyes half-closed as he gazed at her with admiration. He was dazzling, stunning, handsome. Under the mask he must've have been even more attractive.

With a smile, Marinette set her hands on either side of his face. He kept one hand on her waist while using the other one to cover one of her hands. They sat like that for a second before Marinette's breath caught. She grew shy, realizing their proximity. He smiled at her kindly, rubbing his thumb against her hand. His hair was so long that it brushed her fingertips.

Tightening her grip on his face, she timidly leaned towards him and kissed his forehead, letting her mouth hover there for a long moment. Her hands set themselves around his neck once more, and she hugged him tightly.

* * *

Perfect. That's the only way Adrien could think to describe this moment. Utterly perfect.


	28. A Reveal

*A/N I don't own these characters. Big things ahead. Sorry that I'm updating this around midnight. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Marinette loved Chat Noir more than she had ever expected herself to, and right when she had had the perfect moment to tell him, she had instead simply held him in a tight hug until it was too late for him to stay any longer. She should have said something, anything to express her _true_ feelings. Something told Marinette that he wouldn't truly understand how she felt unless she spelled it out for him.

With a groan, the girl rolled over in her bed the next morning, more than slightly dissatisfied with herself for how the evening had ended. But Marinette knew that Chat would be back and that she would have another chance to tell him her feelings. Subconsciously, her fingers went to her lips. They trembled a bit at the thought of telling him that she loved him. He loved her, too, didn't he? He had wanted to kiss her. He had hugged her first. Why was she so nervous? Was it because of the mask?

Who knew who was under that mask?

"Marinette?! Are you up?!"

"Y-yes!" she squealed in reply to her mother as she scrambled out of bed. "I'm almost ready!"

"You don't have to lie to me. I know you just woke up, dear!" her mother replied with an audible chuckle.

Marinette rolled her eyes to herself playfully before hurrying to get ready for school, pushing Chat Noir from her thoughts. At least… for the moment.

* * *

Adrien waved his good morning to Juleka and Rose as he entered the school. Seeing their happy expressions as they waved back brought a smile to Adrien's face. It was a short-lived grin; he ran straight into Chloe, who was blocking the doorway.

"Adrikins! I was just waiting for you!"

"Oh, hey, Chloe," he muttered, looking around for Nino, Marinette, anyone to save him. He'd even settle for Alya angrily tugging him away at this point.

"My father, you know, _the mayor_ , is throwing a super big party this weekend! Do you have an outfit?" Chloe asked him, batting her eyelashes furiously in his direction.

"Uh, what?" Adrien asked, distracted.

"An outfit? For my party?" Chloe squealed in a sickeningly sweet tone, grabbing his arm. "I want us to match!"

Adrien stared at her grip, barely hiding his horror and discomfort, "Uh, that's really nice of you, but I actually…"

"Adrien!"

Chloe froze with her arms wrapped around him, gazing with him at the source of the voice.

"You promised you'd help me with this psychics homework. You know you're a whiz at that stuff."

Adrien let out a sigh of relief as he gently tugged his arm out of Chloe's tight grasp. "We'll talk later, Chloe."

"I'll text you details!" she grinned before glaring at Alya, who had stolen away her Adrikins.

Alya tossed her hair over her shoulder, shoving a notebook at Adrien to make it look like she was actually getting help on homework, "You're welcome."

"Thanks," Adrien smiled genuinely.

The girl appeared pained, opening and closing her mouth, wishing to say something but also not wanting to say it. Finally, Alya spat out, "So, you let Marinette off the hook yesterday?"

"What?" he responded, at first not knowing what Alya meant. Then, Adrien remembered how he had confronted Marinette before they both left school. "Oh, you mean apologizing? It's what any decent person would do…"

"Yeah, but… did you see her last night? You know… as…" she trailed off, raising her eyebrows as she studied his expression.

Adrien looked up at her, guiltily, "None of your business if I did."

Alya grabbed his arm angrily, pulling herself closer to him and hissing, "I told you to fix this!"

"Yo, Adrien! Oh, Alya!" Nino called behind them. Both Alya and Adrien straightened up in shock at their friend's voice, forcing any anger from their faces to appear normal.

"Adrien," Alya muttered, whacking him lightly and dropping her grip on him.

He opened the notebook, frantically spitting out, "I'm working on it!"

"What are you two doing?" Nino asked, eyes shifting between the two.

"Psychics," Alya answered nonchalantly.

"Oh, cool," Nino commented, looking around once more before his eyes landed on Alya. "No Marinette?"

"No. She's probably going to be late, as usual," Adrien responded to himself with a smile. It was a surprisingly endearing aspect of Marinette, her lateness. The way she would rush into class flustered, her hair pushed back from her forehead by the wind she had most likely been running through. Adrien hated it when she got in trouble with the teacher, but he loved seeing her breathless expression, her bright eyes when she wasn't given a tardy. His smile deepened without him really realizing it.

The two looked at him before he realized his grin. He shut the notebook and handed it to Alya, hurrying off with a quick, "See ya in class." Though it wouldn't have been the first time, for some reason, Adrien didn't want them to see his cheeks flush with color.

* * *

Nino put his arm around Adrien's shoulder before he even had a chance to stand up from his seat. "How about we go get something to eat before you head home?"

Adrien raised an eyebrow at his friend before he snuck a peek back at Marinette, who had been late that day. When she didn't meet his gaze, he peered back at Nino and nodded, "Sure."

"Excellent," Nino smiled. "I heard of this great new café…"

"Sounds great," Adrien smiled as they walked out of the classroom, forcing himself not to take one last look at Marinette.

* * *

"Earth to Marinette. Hello?"

"Huh? What is it?" she asked as she shoved a notebook into her backpack.

"You seem, like, super tired today. Up late last night?" Alya asked, crossing her arms.

Marinette fought a yawn as she pulled her straps over her shoulders, "I don't know what you're talking about." Then, she _did_ yawn.

Alya gestured at her with a short laugh before opening her mouth to speak.

"I'm fine!" Marinette cut her off. "Honestly, just… too much homework!"

"It's not a… boy that you aren't telling me about?"

Marinette immediately thought of the Ladyblog and knew she couldn't give away anything that could hurt Chat's identity. Not only that, but… she liked having the secret of Chat Noir all to herself. No one, except maybe Ladybug, had this close of a bond with Chat Noir. Call her selfish, but deep down, Marinette wanted to keep it that way. She chirped, "None at all!"

"Not even… Adrien?"

"Geez, Alya. I've moved on from him, okay?" She shook her head, "How many times do I have to say it before you believe me?"

"As many times before you believe it yourself."

She snorted to herself, refusing to let the words truly sink in. Part of Marinette knew the words had some value to them, but the larger part of her was convinced Adrien had no piece of her heart anymore. Setting a hand on her heart, Marinette leaned towards her friend intently. "I know myself, Alya. I don't care about Adrien like that anymore. Okay?"

Alya nodded slowly, making it seem like she still didn't believe Marinette.

After a long moment of silence between the two girls, Marinette excused herself, "I'll see you tomorrow!" Then, she hurried home, still a bit shaky from their conversation.

* * *

Adrien happily bit into his croissant as Nino watched him carefully over his cup. He tried to pretend like he didn't see his friend's watchful eye, but eventually, it grew too great for Adrien to ignore.

"Is something up?"

"Why would you ask?" his friend questioned.

Adrien tried not to roll his eyes, settling instead for a deep sigh. "I'm just assuming you didn't bring me out here to watch me eat."

After a long pause, Nino finally took a deep breath and asked Adrien, "Why've you been spending so much time with Alya?"

"Wh-what?" He was utterly taken aback. That was _not_ what Adrien had expected Nino to ask him.

"You two are just… talking more than usual… and I…"

Adrien began to shake his head furiously, "Nino, nothing is…"

His friend continued on, sounding more and more desperate as he spoke. "Look, I know I'm no model, but I'm just as good looking as you are!"

"Yes, of course! And I would never…"

"Sure, you can speak Chinese and play piano and are just generally cooler than I am, but… I'm a DJ for goodness sake! I have… rights!"

Adrien was getting flustered, so finally he reached across the table and gripped his friend's wrist, settling him down. He grew serious and answered, "Nino, nothing is happening with Alya."

"Dude…"

"No, it's true! Alright?"

Nino struggled to find words and ended up stammering out, "Then, why…"

Adrien grumbled for a moment.

"I thought you had a thing for Marinette!"

"I do, Nino!" Adrien exploded before composing himself. In a slightly lower tone, he murmured, "Geez, Nino, I am head over sneakers for Marinette."

"Then, with Alya," Nino started. "Really there's…"

"Nothing between us. I swear. She's just helping me out with Marinette." Adrien looked him in the eye, nodding as he stated, "I promise."

Nino smiled before gulping, "Sorry, I was just really nervous that you might like her."

"I could never compete with _you_ , even if I did like Alya in that way," Adrien grinned, holding up his closed fist over the table. "We're cool?"

"Yeah," Nino replied immediately, sounding breathless and relieved, knocking their knuckles. "So what's the hold up then with Marinette? Didn't you apologize for, you know, your quote unquote _big mistake_?"

"I have, but that's not going to be enough."

"It seems like she's forgiven you," Nino observed, sipping his drink.

 _Yeah, for that. Not for when I tell her I'm Chat Noir._

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Adrien answered swiftly with a smile, taking another bite of croissant. "I don't think she'll want to be in any type of deeper relationship with me."

"What? Because of you turning her down? You're a great guy," Nino nudged his shoulder from across the table. "She'll give you a second chance."

Adrien smiled sadly to himself, realizing he had to tell Marinette sooner rather than later who he was and accept the consequences. He was just… scared. Scared she would reject him, ignore him more than she already had. And worse… she would ignore Chat Noir, as well. Was he ready to lose her?

There really shouldn't be a choice in the matter. He needed to tell her the truth, before it ate him alive. Marinette was such a kind person; maybe she would let him remain her friend.

"Yeah, a second chance," he mused to Nino. Glancing out the window, he breathed out softly, "I hope so."

* * *

Adrien and Nino parted ways after finishing their meal, and Adrien began his walk home alone. He had forgotten to tell his bodyguard where he had been going; this would mean trouble later. Oh, well. To Adrien… it had been worth any trouble with his father later. Anything to clear up a misunderstanding with Nino. If for some reason he lost Nino's friendship, on top of everything _else_ that was happening lately, Adrien knew he'd really lose it.

That thought alone got him through the walk home, but as soon as he saw the disapproving look on Natalie's face when he entered his house, the feelings of relief inside him completely disappeared.

"Is Father home?"

Natalie stared him down and curtly told him, "Yes."

Adrien gulped, "You can tell him that I'll…"

"I already told him that you were busy with _homework_ ," Natalie responded, even more sharply than she had before.

With a nod, Adrien began to walk up the steps. He always felt guilty when Natalie had to lie for him; he hated putting her job on the line for his own mistakes.

She spoke behind him, "I'll let him know you're home. He'll be in to see you soon."

Without responding, he walked faster, hurrying to close the door to his room and throw down his bag. What would his father say to him this time? He hated to even imagine. Running his hands through his hair, different scenarios of what was about to occur flitted through his head, each worse than the next. It made him feel helpless and pathetic. Why was hanging out with his friend such a big problem to his father? It frustrated Adrien to no end that he felt so guilty over something so innocent. Nino mattered just as much in his life as his homework did. How could the great Gabriel Agreste not see that?

Plagg flew out from his shirt, "You could always just jump out the window. Chat Noir style!"

"Shut up, Plagg," Adrien groaned, sitting at his desk and rolling his fingers over an uncapped pen. "It's not the time for jokes."

"I wasn't exactly joking," the kwami grumbled, flying off to search the room for any cheese.

Adrien tapped his keyboard a couple times, bringing up the Ladyblog. Ladybug's face once again took his breath away upon seeing it. It had only become more stunning to him the more he got to know Marinette. He spun his chair around, tapping the pen to his lip thoughtfully. He glanced up into his spacious room, muttering to himself, "I need to tell Marinette who I am. It's time."

"I'd say it was _time_ weeks ago," Plagg commented from somewhere behind Adrien. "Like, when you first discovered she was Ladybug… _weeks ago_."

"I know," he agreed, humiliated.

He was planning on doing it soon, but depending on how harsh his father would be to him, Adrien was suddenly feeling like having Marinette not speaking to him wouldn't be the best thing to have at the moment. If Gabriel Agreste got upset at him, he would need someone there for him, like Marinette was there for Chat Noir. No, that would be a selfish reason not to tell her. And Adrien couldn't keep leading her on like this; Alya was right. He was being awful and terrible, and maybe he deserved to have Marinette never speak to him again.

"Soon," Adrien told Plagg.

"Whatever you say, Loverboy," his kwami responded sarcastically.

There was a beeping sound, causing Adrien to spin his chair around quickly, diverting his full attention to go to the large screen. An… an akuma attack? Not the best time, but maybe all he needed was time to get his mind off of Marinette, maybe he could get there before Ladybug and have some time to just forget himself. Just as he was standing up to transform, there was a loud knocking at the door.

"Adrien?" his father called through the door firmly.

"Oh, no," Adrien whispered, glancing from the monitor to the window to the door in a vicious cycle before glancing at Plagg desperately. The kwami, of course, was no help whatsoever. Adrien curled his lip and closed his eyes in deep thought, wondering what the right choice was in this situation.

By the time Gabriel Agreste had opened the door, Adrien had hurried to his bathroom, transformed, and leapt from the window to where the akuma was attacking Paris.

He could deal with his father some other time, though, he knew now that the consequences would only be worse. His mind was so rattled at the moment that Adrien could only hope he had made the right decision.

* * *

Chat Noir landed on the scene just in time to have the akuma victim toss something at him. It exploded, but the hero had thrown himself to the side in time to avoid whatever was inside the object. A green smoke filled the street. Using his baton, Chat propelled himself upwards to crouch on a rooftop, wondering who the victim was. Another bomb was lobbed up at him, making him take off in a sprint. Didn't this suit come with a gas mask of some sort? He groaned and rolled his eyes to himself; amazing supernatural powers, a virtually indestructible suit, and yet, no gas mask?

If Chat could get close enough, he could probably take on this victim in combat; the only problem was those explosives, whatever they were. And Chat really didn't want to find out.

Chat began to run along the roofs, keeping an eye on the villain but avoiding the bombs. Some sort of chemist he would guess. Maybe the villain was shouting his name, but Chat didn't hear it. Suddenly, all his thoughts were consumed with his masked partner, and more importantly, if she would show up. He had wanted some alone time to think, but he had been wrong. He desperately needed Ladybug by his side.

 _She should be here by now_ , he thought to himself, stopping his running for one moment to look for her.

This proved lucky for the evil scientist. One of the strange explosives landed at Chat Noir's feet and exploded, leaving a sticky residue on his legs, gluing his boots to the roof. He couldn't get out of the suit without detransforming, and there were too many people below watching the fight. Fear began to overtake him as he saw the akuma victim readying more bombs to throw at him. Chat didn't want to test out if they were deadly or not. Though he wasn't too fond of the idea, he decided to use his miraculous power to escape and then recharge while waiting for Ladybug to show.

"Cataclysm!" he shouted, slamming his hand down on the gunk. It melted away from his boots, allowing him to jump away from the public's view and hurry over the rooftops until he found a safe, abandoned street to release Plagg.

"That's it?!" Plagg grumbled as he dizzily fell from the ring. "Didn't take very long."

"Do you want your cheese or not?" Adrien asked, shoving the kwami into his shirt pocket and sticking one of the pieces of Camembert he keeps in his pocket after him.

"Thanks," Plagg muttered with a mouthful from the pocket.

Adrien sprinted back to the area of attack, watching for Ladybug and waiting for Plagg to be ready. He was just rounding a corner into one of the large, green foggy areas when suddenly something wrapped around his ankles and pulled him upwards. He gulped down fear as he tried to think of what might have caught him, and how to make sure they didn't figure out his secret, until he saw Ladybug's face looking at him in concern.

"Adrien, are you crazy?" she asked him without formality of any kind, unlooping her yoyo from around his legs and setting him on the roof next to her. She crouched lower so that her hands touched his cheeks, turning his head this way and that to make sure he was alright.

"Uh…"

"Don't run into the fog! You don't want to get hurt," Ladybug ordered. She stood up, gazing down at him. There was a long moment where neither of them said anything. Finally, the heroine let out a long breath, holding her forehead in one hand, whispering, "Geez, you scared me."

"I…" Adrien tried to stop himself form feeling hopeful over the fact that Marinette was worried for him, but he couldn't seem to. Maybe there was still a chance for him if he confessed his secret. He allowed that small ray of hope to consume his heart.

* * *

The fear over losing Adrien to this villain made Marinette realize that Adrien still had a hold over part of her. How much, she wasn't sure, but she could tell that part of her was so insanely terrified when she saw him sprinting towards the fog. She didn't want to lose him.

Because… he was just a friend? That's what she had been telling herself all this time. With a sigh, she realized that she was just in high school. Marinette didn't know exactly what her feelings could mean at this time, but she knew that if Adrien got hurt, she would never forgive herself for allowing it to happen.

Ladybug grinned down at Adrien, "Stay here, okay? Stay safe."

"O-okay," he breathed out, sitting up on his knees as Ladybug smiled warmly and him and zoomed away, flying across the roofs with little aid from her yoyo.

* * *

"He _llo_! You alright, Mr. Goo-Goo Eyes?"

Adrien gave an angry pout in Plagg's direction as he stood up. Seeing her smile had charged him up, and he felt ready to take down the villain alongside his lady.

"You see her _every day_ ," his kwami whined. "Why just get all lovey-dovey _now_ when…"

"Let's go!"

"Oh, but Ladybug told you to stay here," Plagg mocked him.

Adrien rolled his eyes and threw out his fist, "Transform me!"

* * *

"Nice of you to show up," Ladybug called to Chat Noir as he appeared across from her. They were standing on the street before the one that held the villain, planning.

"I was here earlier, my lady. _You_ were the late one," he pointed out with a smile.

"Then tell me, are the bombs dangerous?" she asked, crossing over to him a bit hesitantly. She hated to admit to herself that she was as worried for him as she was, especially since she knew he could take care of himself. Yet, part of her wanted to go set him up on the rooftop where she had left Adrien and handle this herself so she knew neither one of them got hurt.

"I got hit by one. It was sticky, and I couldn't move. But he may have more. Different sorts, you know," Chat answered, pulling out his staff and holding it at the ready. "You think we should just go for it?"

"No," she answered immediately, glaring at him. _No, of course you shouldn't just go for it._

"Oh? You have a different plan, my lady?" Chat grinned, leaning in close with his eyebrows raised.

"Not yet. But you're idea sounds like an easy way to get yourself hurt," she looked away, "or worse."

"Is that worry I hear?"

"For one of my closest friends? Of course it is!" She surprised herself with how sharp her words had been.

Chat's mouth fell open, matching her expression, before he closed his lips and set a hand on her shoulder. "Ladybug, I can take care of myself."

She looked at him, biting her lip, "I know. I know you can." Suddenly, his gloved hand on her shoulder felt like a million pounds, and she wanted nothing more than to take it in her own and hurry him away from the danger. His grip was so tight on her shoulder. Was he worried for her as much as she worried for him? A selfish part of her hoped so.

"So, I say let's go for it. His only strength is his explosives. If I can get close to him, I can attack him and win. I know it! Then you just purify the akuma, and we can go out on a date tonight. What do you say?"

She knew she should have made a face or something at the mention of a date, pretend like she didn't actually want to go out with Chat, but she couldn't. Instead, the heroine lightly punched his shoulder, leaving her fist there. "Don't die."

They stood still, letting the heaviness of the moment settle. Then, Chat moved his face so that she was forced to look at him. "I wouldn't dream of it," he responded before running off. "Not without that date!"

Ladybug hurried right after him, not wanting to let him out of her sight. She watched from afar as he swung his baton left and right, knocking the villain's explosives away from him as he attacked.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she shouted, daring to turn her eyes away from Chat for a second to use her power. Before the item fell into her hands, she looked back just in time to see Chat thrown down a street and out of her view by the villain.

"Chat!" she shouted, hearing her item fall to the ground loudly behind her. The villain turned her attention towards her and readied himself to throw one of his explosives at her. Without being able to think anything else, Ladybug threw herself from the roof and wrapped her yoyo around a lamppost, swinging to the ground next to the villain, crouching and ready to fight.

* * *

The ring flew off his finger as he was thrown down the street, but luckily, no one was there to see him turn back into Adrien. Aside from one shallow scratch on his elbow, he was unharmed. Sitting up and rubbing his head, he began to look around for his ring. By the time he had found it and looked up, ready to transform, he noticed the Miraculous Cleansing Light spreading over the city.

Ladybug had defeated the victim already. Without him.

"Upset you missed the action?" Plagg asked.

He wasn't upset to have missed a fight. He was upset that he had missed being there to protect her. He had so stupidly thought that he could handle fighting the victim himself. If she was hurt because of him…

Ignoring Plagg's complaints, Adrien started to run towards where he had been thrown from, worried for Ladybug and wanting to see her more than anything.

* * *

Ladybug frantically ran through the streets, looking for Chat Noir. He was nowhere to be found. She should have never let him talk her into a plan like that. It was all her fault if he was hurt. An image of Chat lying bloody in the streets alone wouldn't leave her mind, and it was enough to make her stop for a moment in the middle of one of the alleyways to compose herself and wipe a few tears from her cheeks.

She had barely noticed that Adrien had sprinted from around a corner, saying, "Oh, Ladybug. Good I found you. I was worried that…"

She suddenly felt a flash of anger amidst her concern. Chat was the one in danger; Adrien wasn't supposed to worry her like that, too. "I told you to stay there. You could've been hurt."

"Yes, but, I was wor…"

Realizing he was perfectly okay, Ladybug went back to searching for Chat as Adrien continued speaking behind her. His words were incoherent to her due to her mind being focused on one thing and one thing only.

"Are you okay?" Adrien suddenly wondered.

She whirled around to face him, barely hiding the scared expression on her face. "Have you seen Chat?"

It took him a long time to answer. "No, but I'm sure he's f…"

"He never came back," Ladybug interrupted, running past Adrien to peer down another street. Adrien followed her.

"He's fine, Ladybug."

"Where is he?" she breathed out anxiously. "I… I need to find him."

Adrien grabbed her arm, turning her to face him, "Just calm down. He's a superhero. He's fine!"

How dare Adrien assume that Chat would just be fine? Marinette needed to find him or else she would die of worry, staying up without sleep simply wondering if Chat was okay. She should have made him stay put when she had the chance. Now, he was nowhere to be found. Her heart began to race, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She wanted to run and scream, anything to get rid of the jumpiness that was suddenly overtaking her body.

Adrien moved his hands to grab her shoulders, "Everything is ok…"

"Let go of me!" she shouted, finally letting the tears spill over her cheeks. "I need to find him, or else I'd never forgive myself!"

His grip tightened, "Don't run out there looking for danger. He's okay!"

"How could you know?" she spat, tearing herself from him. "I need to find, Chat. He could be hurt! I can't lose him. I can't lose him, not like this. I'm… I'm sorry, Adrien."

"Ladybug…"

"Don't follow me," she ordered harshly, starting to run off. And Adrien didn't follow.

But after she had barely made it halfway down the alley, his words stopped her dead in her tracks.

* * *

"Plagg, transform me."

* * *

She skidded to a stop, feeling herself begin to hyperventilate. Was it some sort of sick joke that Adrien was making, or did she really dare to turn around and see for herself if he was real, if he was her partner?

"I'm right here, my lady."

As if in a dream, Ladybug slowly turned to see that Adrien was replaced by none other than her masked partner himself. Her head shook slightly, and she took a step back.

"A-Adrien?"

"Yes… It's me," he called out to her.

"No… No, it's can't be you," she breathed out, taking another step away from him.

"Please, Marinette, just…" Chat stopped mid-sentence.

It took her a moment to register what he had just said, what he had just called her. Then, Ladybug turned and sprinted away as fast as she could.


	29. The Confrontation

_He knew. He knew. He knew._

Marinette kept thinking that simple thought as she sprinted home. Her heart couldn't stop pounding against her chest as her vision blurred. She could feel the blood in her ears and the blush hot on her cheeks. She felt her legs growing tired as she hurried, but she did not want to be followed. She could not face him.

 _He knew._

As soon as she landed on the bakery's roof, she slid through the door to her bed and lifted her transformation. Next, she promptly hurried to her windows, covering the ones she could cover, and then she cowered in the corner of her room, avoiding all the windows, avoiding Cha…

Adrien.

"He knew," she whispered to herself, voice trembling. She breathed heavily as she sunk deeper and deeper into the floor. Her arms shook, barely able to hold themselves around her body.

"Marinette," her kwami murmured.

She buried her face into her hands, confusion, anger, and relief fighting for dominance in her brain. Adrien, the boy she had fought so hard to get over, was the boy she had fallen madly in love with.

It had been him the entire time. All the emotions she had been feeling, all the hurt and all the happiness, caused by the same boy. And all the while, he had known it was her. The Chat she knew would never have played with her heart like this. Apparently, Marinette didn't really know him at all.

As she began to cry, her emotions melted away into a numbness. Tikki snuggled up against Marinette's cheek, trying to help, but not knowing what to say or do. Marinette didn't even know what her kwami could do to help her in this situation. Who _was_ she supposed to talk to about this? She couldn't tell Alya; no one could no her secret identity.

She wanted so desperately to tell Chat, but…

He was Adrien.

No matter how hard she tried to push his face from her mind, he kept returning. His gentleness, his hands, his embrace, his lips, his smile.

How could he.

* * *

Adrien didn't go to school the next day. He didn't want to cause Marinette any more pain than she was already put in because of him. The amount of times he caught himself staring at a wall imagining what had happened between them before shaking himself out of it was too numerous to count. The guilt that weighed down on his shoulders was too heavy to ignore. Her smile, too beautiful to forget, was pushed aside by the look of hurt she had thrown his direction just hours earlier.

That wasn't how he wanted to tell her. That was the last way he wanted to do it, unexpectedly and on the spot. He was her partner; he was the person she trusted most in the world. Now she hated him. It had been plain to see. And there would be no way to come back from this; Adrien could see no way to reconcile his mistakes.

This was what Alya had been trying to avoid. He should have heeded her words. He should have listened.

Now he had lost her, hadn't he?

* * *

After finishing the makeup work that Nino had dropped off at his house, Adrien transformed and began his patrol, being careful not to overstep his boundaries in case Marinette had done the same.

Then, he noticed a beeping coming from his baton. Feeling a sharp twist of his stomach at the sound, he gingerly pulled the staff in front of him to see that Ladybug was calling him. He let out a breath before answering the call, simply staring at the blank screen. There was a long silence, making Chat feel like it had to have been an accident call to him. His shoulders slumped, and the hero prepared to hang up the call, feeling even more broken.

"C… Chat?" Ladybug's voice finally asked from somewhere offscreen.

Excitement rushed into his entire being. His fingertips felt charged with lightning, his chest swelled as if it were filled with too much air. "Yes!" He cleared his throat and sputtered out softly, "I'm here."

"I…"

Neither said a word, and Chat found himself desperately wanting to see her face on the small screen, though, he knew she would never. But could she see him? Could she see how sorry he was? Could she see how much he loved her?

"I want to talk to you so badly," she sobbed suddenly into the call.

Chat's fingers gripped the baton, feeling his shoulders tighten up in frustration with himself.

"But… I don't know…"

He opened his mouth to speak.

"Meet me?" she breathed out, so softly he easily could've imagined it.

He closed his mouth, unsure of what to answer.

"At my pl…"

"Come to my room," he insisted. "I want you to be able to…" Chat didn't finish the sentence aloud. He didn't want Marinette to feel trapped in her own room. He wanted her to be able to… escape from him if she needed to.

She didn't respond for a long time, but then she finally whispered, "Okay."

Without a second of hesitation, Chat rushed back to his room, heart threatening to beat its way right out of his chest.

* * *

Ladybug stayed crouched across from Adrien's window, knowing full well he was in there waiting for her. She was scared.

Why had she asked him to meet her? Why did she think this would be okay? There was no way she was ready for this confrontation now, was there?

But Adrien hadn't been at school. She was almost lonely without him there. Luckily, with him gone, it had been easier to trick Alya into thinking nothing had happened between them. She had almost tricked herself for a while that nothing had happened, but every time she felt her focus shift, the memory in the street would flood her thoughts, and Marinette would have to bite her lip to stop from making a sound.

Her heart thudded when she saw him come into view, walking by the window, still in his Chat Noir transformation.

She felt scared for him.

He would get caught.

Someone would see him.

With a quick flick of her wrist, her yoyo looped around the top of the building, allowing her to shoot towards his open window.

"You'll get discovered if you don't lift your transformation," she told him sternly, crouching next to her exit.

Chat turned to look over his shoulder at her, appearing nervous. They stared at each other for a long second. Then, Chat dropped his arms at his sides and let out a short breath, looking away from her once again.

"I… I wanted to do it again."

Slowly, Ladybug stood up, wondering what he meant.

Finally, the hero turned to completely face her, before lifting his transformation in front of her eyes.

"Ladybug," Adrien breathed out, gazing at her, "I'm… Chat Noir."

She tried to hold it together, but the tears came out of her eyes anyways, "Why?"

* * *

He gulped, "Why to... what?"

"All of it," she ordered. "Why did you… How could you…" She let out a long breath, face tilting up and away from him, "Why did you play with me like you did?"

It hurt him because of course that's what it seemed like he had done. He would be an idiot to think that anything he did had been the right choice. "I didn't mean for… I did not want to hurt you."

She scoffed, now appearing angry while still crying.

Adrien didn't dare step closer, "Please believe that I never wanted to hurt you."

"So, you just thought that turning me down, flirting with me, then un-turning me down…" She spun away from him, "What? You thought that that was just going to excite me? Make me like you even more?"

His heart squeezed in his chest, "No. I knew that…"

"If you knew, then why did you do it?"

* * *

Wanting to look him in the eye while he answered, Ladybug turned to face him. She ran her arm over her eyes first to stop her tears from blurring her vision, and then she asked once more, "Why did you keep doing it?"

"Because I liked you!" he burst.

* * *

Adrien wanted to rush up to her, fall onto his knees, and tell her how much he adored her. But he knew that now wasn't the exact best time to say all this.

"Marinette," he whispered. "I _wanted_ to stay away from you. I wanted to let you just move on from me. But every time I thought about leaving you alone, I would see you."

"See me?" she grunted out, a bit sarcastic.

Adrien took a step forward before moving back again. "You would walk into school, and your smile would draw me back to you."

"That's your excuse?"

"It's not an excuse! I'm just trying to…"

"You saw me smile…"

"Marinette, please!"

"And played with my emotions?"

"I tried to make you feel what I felt!" he shouted, immediately looking like he regretted it.

Her eyes widened, and she whispered, "Which was what?"

He struggled to find the words to speak.

"Which was what," she repeated, voice sounding pained and heavy.

A long silence hung between the two. Neither let their gaze back down, staring at the other as intensely as possible.

"Love," he finally sighed out, unable to stop himself from smiling a little. "Love, Marinette."

* * *

Her heart tightened.

"There's so much I want to explain," Adrien started saying behind her. "Your scarf, seeing you transform the first time, giving you that ride home from school after you were injured…"

Marinette shook her head and headed for the window.

"No, please! Please, don't go."

"I… I'm not sure I was actually ready for this." She was painfully aware of how much her voice was shaking.

"Marinette, please!"

Ladybug stepped up onto the window, throwing her yoyo and readying her escape. She looked over her shoulder once more at Adrien, repeating, "I was not ready for this."

* * *

*A/N I just wanted to apologize because I only recently realized that this was set on complete, and I thought I still had it set on in progress. I'm sorry for wasting anyone's time. I started college and could not update as much.


	30. Starting at Square One

Ladybug kept yo-yoing as far from the Agreste mansion as she could, feeling so stressed that she couldn't cry anymore. She had misjudged her own strength; it was too soon to try and talk to Adrien about everything. The confusion and heartache surrounding the whole situation was too fresh to talk about rationally. Though, with each building she put between herself and Adrien, the more she wished to go back, slap him in the face, and make him explain himself so she could have her friend back.

She wanted to hate him. She wanted to move on from him and forget about him. But part of her believed that he hadn't meant to hurt her. She didn't believe him so much that she would go out with him tomorrow, but she wanted to work back to the trust they had. Ladybug knew from the beginning that when their identities were revealed, things would get messy, but she could never have guessed the odds that Adrien would be the one under the mask. And because of romantic feelings, because of love, she felt like their friendship was ruined.

She finally stopped to catch her breath for a second when there was the sound of yelling from down below. With a sigh, Ladybug realized it was another akuma attack. Spreading her arms, she leapt from the roof to the street below and started her battle, wondering if Chat Noir would arrive.

* * *

"Aren't you going to go?" Plagg asked.

Adrien stared at the alert on his computer screen, biting at his thumbnail. He knew he needed to go save Paris, but would Marinette want him there? She could purify the akumas easily without him there, but now that she knew who he was, he felt a greater accountability to be there. Plus, it's not like they had to talk to each other while they fought. He could easily just ditch as soon as the battle was over to let her have her space.

"Plagg, transform me."

* * *

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

The Miraculous Cleansing Light covered Paris and the akuma's wreckage was undone. Those the heroes saved applauded for Chat Noir and Ladybug before swarming them with phones in their faces asking questions. Ladybug wanted nothing more than to get out of there, the awkwardness of seeing Chat so soon making her blush.

"Enough questions, everyone. The life of a superhero is super busy, and we should be heading out," Chat tried to get them to leave. He must have noticed how uncomfortable she was, and she almost thanked him aloud for shooing the crowd.

"Ladybug! OMG! Ladybug!" screeched a familiar voice.

Ladybug couldn't help it; she made a face at Chat Noir, causing him to give her a half smile.

Chloe continued her shouting, "Ladybug! As usual, you were amazing, almost as amazing as me! My father, the mayor of Paris, is having a party tomorrow evening! I _know_ we would be honored to have you there!"

Chat Noir cleared his throat.

Chloe made a face at him, "Sorry, my dad is allergic to cats."

Chat rolled his eyes, saluted Ladybug, and then extended his baton to reach the rooftops and escape.

Left alone, Ladybug let out an awkward, "Uhhh…."

" _Please_!" Chloe begged, wrapping her arms around Ladybug.

She heard her Miraculous beep, signaling she was about to transform. Shoving Chloe off of her, she threw her yoyo around a lamp post, saying, "Of course! I'll be there!" And before she could hear another word from Chloe's mouth, she was off.

As soon as her feet touched the top of the roof, her transformation lifted.

"Phew," she murmured to herself, catching Tikki from the air, "that was close."

After pulling a cookie from her purse and squatting down to let Tikki eat, she raised her glance to see Adrien sitting on the opposite side of the roof, plugging his nose as his kwami ate something.

* * *

Adrien looked up from Plagg to see Marinette across the way. After holding her gaze for a couple seconds, he waved and started to stand to leave when he heard her voice.

"What's yours' name?"

"Huh?" he asked back. Adrien watched as Marinette stood up and moved slightly closer to him, stopping a few feet away and crossing her arms.

"Your kwami."

"Oh. Plagg," he responded, gesturing to the kwami hovering next to him.

"Nice to finally meet you, Marinette," Plagg said with his mouthful of cheese.

Marinette nodded a bit before glancing at Adrien, "Thanks for coming today."

"Of course," he answered seriously but delicately. "Paris needs us."

She nodded once again. Then, suddenly, Marinette's kwami flew up to Plagg and said something in a quiet tone to him before flying back to Marinette.

"This is Tikki," Marinette said, letting Tikki sit in her hands.

"Nice to meet you," Adrien said, trying out a smile but not wanting to push his luck. He already felt like it was a miracle Marinette was speaking to him at all.

"Sorry Chloe didn't invite you to this party."

Adrien shrugged, "She invited Adrien."

Marinette's eyes widened, "Oh. Like a date."

"Well," he shrugged again. "You know Chloe."

Marinette nodded once again, and it made Adrien uncomfortable. It was like they were strangers. Is this what it would have been like if they had learned each other's identities before they had become friends during school?

"Well, I'll see you there," Adrien muttered, standing up. Him and Marinette stared at each other for a brief second, the depth of her stare chilling him more than the harsh wind.

She nodded yet again.

With a nod himself, Adrien turned to leave.

"Adrien!"

Her voice startled him, making him jump and face her with wide eyes.

"It's going to take a lot to make me forgive you."

He felt his shoulders sag.

"We're going back to square one," she muttered.

"I know."

She bit her lip and stared hard at him.

"But I like you too much to let you go now," he whispered, not knowing if she heard to not. "Plagg, transform me."

* * *

With his quick transformation, Chat Noir was gone, leaping rooftops in the dark of the night, giving Marinette the space she knew she needed, but didn't want for some reason.

"What did you tell Plagg?" Marinette asked Tikki, still watching Chat.

"To keep Adrien in line from now on."

Marinette smiled at Tikki, "Thank you."

With that, Marinette transformed and was on her way home for a needed night of sleep.

* * *

Adrien lay in his bed that night, staring out of his windows at the stars and feeling dangerously hopeful. He didn't deserve this second chance. It was a testament to Marinette's character, how sweet and compassionate of a girl she was, that she was even considering forgiving him. He once again wondered how he hadn't noticed her sooner. How he couldn't have known that her and Ladybug were the same person.

He pulled the covers up higher underneath his chin and let out a breath. He wasn't going to let this chance go to waste. He was going to be on his best behavior. He was going to win back her trust, show her how he really feels about her.

It was his only choice at the moment.

* * *

"I shouldn't let you go out after your behavior lately," Gabriel said as Adrien stood at the door, ready for Chloe's party.

"I know, Father. But it's Chloe."

His father scoffed, "Right, and that is the only reason you are allowed out. You'll be back at a decent hour, and you'll be on your best behavior. Remember, you represent me, as well."

"I know, Father," he repeated.

"Have a nice time," his father said, turning to walk up the stairs to his office.

Adrien watched his father for a second before he exited with his bodyguard. He climbed into the car and leaned against the window, watching as the streets went by. Soon, he'd see Marinette again. Sure, he'd have to put up with Chloe to see her, but it was worth it. He so desperately wanted to make things right with her, and he wondered how long it would take.

* * *

"I told you! I was at Alya's last night!" Marinette said.

Her mother shook her head, "When we called her, she said she didn't know where you were."

"I was on my way home by that point."

"You were home an hour after we called her."

"I got lost!"

Her father sighed, "Marinette, honey, we wanted to believe you. But the facts just don't add up. We have no choice but to ground you if you can't give us a real answer."

Marinette bit her lip and looked down. It was fair. They didn't know she had been out saving Paris. To them, she really had just snuck out and done who knows what, and she couldn't tell them the truth.

"You're not allowed to leave your room this weekend."

She nodded. "In that case, I'll just do some homework and go to bed early."

Her mother gave a sympathetic expression, "I'm sorry, dear. We have no choice."

"I understand, Mama. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Marinette," her mother said warmly.

 _At least now I have a reason to skip out on Chloe's party_ , Marinette thought to herself. But…. that would reflect poorly on Ladybug. No, she had to go, if only just for a little bit. A brief appearance. As long as she stayed out of Chloe's reach…

Her phone started to ring. Her stomach dropped for a second before she read Alya's name on the caller ID.

She picked up, "Alya."

"Marinette, hey, I really wanted to talk to you about something…"

"Listen, now isn't a great time. I just got grounded and…"

"Grounded? What for?"

"And I really have to go now."

"Marinette! We should talk! I need to tell you something!"

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, Alya. Stop by the bakery."

"Marinette, just give me a minute…"

"Goodnight, Alya," she said, hanging up.

"Marinette," Tikki gasped. "What…"

"The sooner we go to this party, the sooner we can come home," she reasoned.

Tikki didn't seem to like this answer, but she didn't say another word. Marinette transformed and rushed out her window to the Mayor's hotel.

* * *

After being told he'd be picked up around 9, Adrien's bodyguard drove away, leaving Adrien in front of the party. He put his hands in his pockets and sighed.

"Here goes nothing," he said to himself.

As soon as he passed through the doors, Chloe was on his arm, saying how happy she was to see him, wondering why he hadn't dressed to match her, and complaining about how she had been trapped with losers until he showed up. He gave an awkward chuckle and tried to detach her from his arm politely.

"Has Ladybug shown up yet?" he asked.

"Oh, so word got out that she was coming? So cool, right? Ladybug and I are basically best friends."

Adrien interrupted, "She's not here?"

"Not yet. But she will be," Chloe said with a flip of her hair. "Until then, do you want to dance?"

"Um, how about just snacks for right now?" he offered instead, steering her towards the food table instead of the dance floor.

He kept his eyes peeled for Marinette. Just a glance at her was all he needed. If she would let him dance with her, he would be on cloud nine.

* * *

Ladybug sat crouched on the building across from the hotel. She didn't really want to go in. None of her friends were there. She wished Chat would be coming with her. She shook her head; no, she shouldn't want him around so badly. She can't forgive him so soon. He took advantage of her too much, and he needed to learn that it was not okay, that the way he has made her feel these past weeks has not been okay.

She sighed and didn't budge from her seat. The longer she sat there, the more time her parents had to catch her outside of her room. She should hurry up and go in.

Then, Adrien was at the door. He walked out hurriedly, running his hand through his hair. Ladybug watched as he looked around for something. Part of her wondered what he was looking for, and that's when his eyes landed on her. After an awkward moment of staring, he just barely raised his hand and gestured for her. She was confused.

Adrien raised his hands in a praying position and nodded his head to the hotel.

Oh, he wanted her to go in with him.

 _What should I do?_

Before she could answer herself, she felt her yoyo swing her down next to him on the sidewalk.

"You have to come in," he begged. "Chloe won't leave me alone."

"You want to pass her off to me?" Ladybug asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"No, I… I want you to dance with me."

Ladybug stood frozen.

* * *

"Um… to distract Chloe from the both of us," Adrien continued on hurriedly.

He shouldn't have asked. It was stupid. He wanted to kick himself. He shouldn't have asked.

"Good idea," she answered slowly.

Adrien focused on her, watching her eyes flit across the sidewalk as she thought quickly.

"I'm grounded, so a quick dance with you would be my public appearance, and then I could head out," she told him.

He was taken aback by how weird it was to talk to Ladybug about her real life. Now that their identities were revealed, many things were different. He'd just have to get used to it. Though, Adrien would be lying if he said he didn't like hearing Marinette talk about her daily life while dressed as Ladybug. He should have told her he knew who she was forever ago. God, he had messed up.

She was staring at him, waiting for something.

"Well, then, shall we?" he asked, holding out his arm.

Ladybug reluctantly took it. Adrien hid his smile but having her arm on his felt so nice. And having her arms around him while they danced felt even nicer. Once they had finished, Ladybug flew off into the night after waving to the guests at the party, and Adrien hurried out to his ride before Chloe could snatch him again.


End file.
